Sailors of Tomorrow
by Alitolexlto
Summary: Superman has been requested by a mysterious woman to come to Tokyo about a dangerous and looming threat slowly sprawling in the small district. However, he will not be alone in saving the city, as Sailor Moon, and soon, the rest of the Sailor Scouts, are on the job of peace and love. A perfect combination for Superman's truth and Justice. Will it be enough? Read and find out!
1. Heroes Collide

_**Hello you all, Alito here.**_

 _ **So this was a story that actually came to my mind when I saw this really cute fan art that someone made of Superman and Sailor Moon at an ice cream parlor, and I just thought, "I have to do it!" so here's what came out of that.**_

 _ **You'll have to excuse some minor spelling errors and all, and if there's any problems with spelling or punctuation, please let me know in the reviews. I read all my reviews by the way.**_

 _ **So to get the gist of the crossovers, the version of Sailor Moon I'm using is the anime version of it, with some things thrown in from the manga and even the live action adaptation. it's more or less a mix of the mediums.**_

 _ **Meanwhile, the version of Superman I'm using is a mix of canons from The Christopher Reeves Superman, the animated series, CW Supergirl's Superman, comics, and the DCEU Superman.**_

 _ **For anyone curious as to what picture I'm talking about that inspired this story, check out the artist Tumblr tiggersmoke.**_

 _ **DISCLIAMER: I OWN NOTHING. Superman and Sailor Moon belong to their respected creators and NOT ME. Please support these characters and their official releases.**_

* * *

Chapter 1: Heroes Collide

* * *

That beeping-the one we all dread to have to hear every morning. Our bodies ache, we get that groggy feeling once our eyes open, and the worst of it all—it never feels like enough sleep.

And so the day begins for a this young man who tapped his alarm clock, and slowly rose up onto his bed. He gave a long-winded yawn as he stretched his arms high into the air. That groggy feeling was taking over him once he wiped his face with his hands. All he really wanted to do was climb back into bed, but the sounds of his boss raging on about him being late echoed through his skull. And so, out of the bed he went, and dragging his feet towards the bathroom to take a warm shower.

The young man arrived in kitchen kitchen dressed in pleated shirt with a tie, a baggy jacket over it, and a grey pants with loafers. He took a look in the mirror that hung on the wall next to the stove to see his black, short hair brushed well, and a pair of glasses sat on the bridge of his nose the brought attention to his sky blue eyes.

A big smile couldn't help but appear onto his face-one of excitement for today.

"Hello, my name is Clark Kent...no, no, that was awful..." He rehearsed with bows. "Hi there! Names Clark. Clark Kent...definitely not...*ahem* Good morning, Mr. Yamazaki. My name is Clark Joseph Kent. I'm from the Daily Planet stationed in Metropolis in the US. It's an honor to be here...yeah, that one's good."

He checked his watch to see he needed to pick up the pace a bit. Nothing wrong with getting a light breakfast in before departing. He looked on the food chart calendar that he brought from home on the fridge.

"Pancakes today." He said happily. "Perfect."

Clark reached into his pantry and took out a bowl, and a spatula. He then went to his fridge to see he was actually low on food at the moment. With his reporter's salary, that was to be expected.

He grabbed the pancake batter, milk, and the last bit of butter he had. Once it was all laid out on the table, was ready to get started.

"Let's see...my last record was 30 seconds..." Clark said as he removed his glasses. "...let's go for 20."

Almost within seconds, Clark had moved beyond human speed as he prepared his breakfast. To anyone else, he figured he looked as if he were being Fast-forwarded on a television. Once he had gotten the pancake batter onto the stove, rather then using the stove itself, he settled for starring at the bottom of the skillet instead.

To only add to the unnatural talents of this man, he then shot a small, concentrated aura of pure , burning energy from his eyes to cook the pancakes faster. He paused to flip them over before doing it again. Once he felt they were done, his eyes returned to normal, and his glasses were put back on.

"29 seconds." Clark said happily. "New record."

Clark took a look outside his window and saw, not the tall concrete jungle that was Metropolis, but instead saw a small town in a district of Tokyo, Japan. A new day was certainly dawning, as the light from the sun hit Clark over the horizon. It was just the bath he needed to start a new day in a new country all together.

"Alright!" Clark said to himself.

* * *

Clark's new commute began by running out of his apartment, and through a small, residential town district somewhere in Tokyo. He didn't notice it while arriving last night by plane, but the town was brimming with advertisements to stores, restaurants, and all types of shopping centers. It was just as commercialized as Lois said it was. It definitely wasn't any Metropolis or Gotham, but there was definitely a cleaner charm to the city that it had all its own. The people seemed to be ones that were in their own business. Most were business men and women, while others were either elderly people in old kimonos strolling about, or high school students on their way to school.

Clark wondered if there was a chance he'd be able to fit in. He had dealt with how moving Metropolis can be when he was just a mild-mannered reporter for the Daily Planet, but this place was a whole new ballgame in Clark's court. He'd rather just try and blend in with the background there so as to not bring any unnecessary attention to himself. Of course, that wasn't an easy thing to do considering his identity. But Clark figured as long he he kept his feet to the ground, then no one would be too suspicious of him.

Upon turning on the corner of a sidewalk, Clark came to a complete stop once he happened to come upon the sight of a bunch of children huddled around something; laughing as they were. At first Clark assumed it was just children being children with some toys or playing cards. However that changed when he heard the screeching cries of, what appeared to be, a black cat.

Clark put his glasses down a bit, and used his magnified vision to see from the far distance what was happening. To his surprise, he saw that the kids were bullying the poor, defenseless kitten by poking it or roughing it up with sticks.

Clark was appalled at the very sight of it. He was just about to make his way over there, and give the boys a stern scolding.

"Hey! You three!"

The boys reacted to the sound of the young girl's voice, and high-tailed it outta there once she came running towards them. The boys scampered off, while the object of their bullying laid there, almost motionless. Clark was relieved as he had already used his X-ray vision to see the cat's little heart was still beating.

Coming to the cat's aid was a young high school girl in a school uniform. The most peculiar thing about this girl was her long blonde hair formed into two pigtails. Clark figured she must have dyed it that color. However, the blue eyes were also unique compared to others with just brown or black eyes in Japan.

"What's with them? Honestly!" The young girl sighed.

"Is it gonna be alright?"

She was a bit startled as she turned around to see Clark standing over her. She was put off by the foreigner since there weren't many that come into the small town. If anything, he was the first one she'd ever seen outside of a magazine or TV. She felt a good first impression was key.

"O-Oh, yeah, I think it'll be alright...!" She said, cradling the cat as she stood up.

"That's a relief." Clark smiled.

Suddenly, the cat had become restless in the girl's arms as it cried and kept scratching at its forehead. To both their surprise, it was a band aid that the cat was reaching for.

"Now how'd that get on its forehead?" Clark wondered.

"Those boys must've done it." The twin-tailed girl figured. "I guess you want me to take it off, huh lil kitty? It _does_ look cute though..."

The girl slowly ripped off the bandage on its forehead, and under it revealed something even more peculiar; the cat had a crescent moon emblem on it that was a bright yellow. Clark saw this as strange; it wasn't everyday that a cat would have such an odd emblem on their foreheads. He immediately felt something was odd about the cat.

"A bald spot?" The blonde girl figured.

Suddenly, the cat leaped from the girl's arms and landed onto one of the parked cars. It stood there, almost motionlessly, starring down the blonde girl with intent eyes. It appeared she was just as confused as Clark was, so it didn't seem like she knew it before today. Still, Clark found it strange how it just stood there, and starred at the young girl.

However, the stare down was interrupted by the sound of a bell ringing far off in the distance.

"Ack! Oh, no! The bell!" The girl yelled frantically. "I gotta go! See ya, Mister! Take care of the kitty for me!"

Before Clark could say anything, the young girl ran off down the street towards where the bell rang from. The thought of running late began to worry even Clark as he checked his watch for the time. If push came to shove, he'd have to use the _other_ way to work to be on time.

Before he took off as well, he gave one last look towards the cat, only to have found it had already ran off. Clark looked around, but saw no sight of the black feline anywhere.

"So much for taking care of it..." Clark muttered to himself while adjusting his glasses. "I wonder where it—wait, what time is it?"

He pulled back his sleeve and looked at his wrist watch—His eyes grew wide with fear.

"Uh oh..."

* * *

The hustle and bustle of this little district in Tokyo was further improved once a new building had been established in the middle of the town. It stood with its own unique air about it, that made it stand out from all the others. Possibly due to the giant brass globe at the very top of it that read ' _Daily Planet'_ in building itself stood at whopping 12 stories high with a style of 'East meets West' architecture of a United States skyscraper, mixed with the roof of an old Japanese structure, with a finish of the brass globe at the top.

It was inside where Clark hurried out of a packed elevator, while fumbling for his things that fell out of his arms. He double checked his watch and saw how late on time he really was due to his watch actually being broken the whole time. He had to run past people just to get into the office, and dropped a few of his papers along the way.

Once he finally got into the office, he had to stop to look around first. He was surprised by the sight of such a well-furbished, and overtly dignified business being run in such a large office space. There were no newspapers lying over the cubicles, no yelling from across the room. Just a quiet, and organized workings of many employees who all did their job with little to no hassle. There was a group who handled the typing, while another was responsible for transporting printed press to the public. They even had employees who worked on their online presence through social media. On his right, Clark could see a good view of the city outside, as the sun's natural light illuminated in the room to make it feel brighter and warmer then what it already was. And what really topped it off, was the brass sphere that stood at the very far back of the office; it was the Daily Planet's globe, but its title was in Japanese.

"Kent-san!"

Clark was startled by the loud voice call him from across the room. Everyone in the office went silent as some looked at Clark, and then looked over towards the approaching, older man walking towards him. He looked in his late 50's or 60's by the looks of his grey hair, and wrinkles all over his face. He was dressed in a dark grey suit that looked lighter in the sun.

Once he was within a few steps from Clark, it was apparent that he had to look down at the old man, given that he reached up to Clark's chin. However his expression was as sharp as an eagles with those piercing brown eyes behind his glasses.

"You must be Clark Kent." The man said in a calm, husky voice. "White-san has told me much about you."

"U-Um yes!" Clark said nervously. "Please excuse me for being late! I-I was caught up in traffic and I just...! Well, I know traffic is no excuse since I should've woken up earlier, b-but I was still very tired from my plane ride here from last night, and I wasn't able to sleep very soundly...! A-Although, I don't think 3 minutes is considered—"

"—ten."

Clark's words came to a sputtering halt. "W-Wha...?"

"I specifically recalled that you were to arrive first thing in the morning at 7:00 AM on the dot. You were ten minutes late to your first day on the job." He said sternly.

"O-Oh, I'm sorry, sir...! I-I promise you that I'll do better next time!"

"I'm afraid there won't be a next time."

Clark's heart sank the moment he heard those words. They were the most painful words he'd have to hear from his boss. He dreaded being fired from the Daily Planet every time he came in late back home, and now it had become a reality in the form of another boss in a foreign country. He felt devastated as he cast his head down in shame and was just about to turn on his heel, out of the door.

Before Clark could even leave however, he had come to a complete halt the moment he heard a light chuckle coming from behind him. It wasn't one of mocking, but a more mischievous one. He was caught off guard to see that it came from the stone-faced elderly man, whose expression changed into a more light-hearted smile.

"Oh, Kent-san, you can relax, I was only kidding." He said, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Y-you were...?" Clark said.

"But of course. I wouldn't just up n' fire someone so quickly without getting to know a lil bit more about 'em." He said, "Besides, White-san has told me all about you; He says you have a habit of being late at times, but your reporting skills are second to none."

"He did...? I-I mean I wouldn't go _that_ far—N-Not to say I'm am amateur or anything...!" Clark said with a nervous smile.

"Thooough, the reporter known as Lois Lane would've been a much preferable candidate for the foreign exchange..." the old man contemplated. He then turned back at Clark with a big smile on his face. "But I suppose you'll have to do."

"Um...thanks...I think..." Clark said with uncertainty.

The old man held his hand out to Clark with his best smile and those piercing eyes now more humble and kind. "Welp, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Yamazaki Hioshi. Welcome to The Daily Planet Japan."

Clark quickly shook Mr. Yamazaki's hand graciously with his own goofy smile to give. "I-It's honor to be here, sir! O-Oh, right, you're suppose to bow here...!" He gave a small bow to him, as Mr. Yamazaki did the same.

"Well then, allow me to give you a small tour of our facility. I think you'll find we do things a little bit different then what you're use to overseas."

"Of course." Clark nodded.

Yamazaki strolled off with Clark following closely behind. As they walked through the cubicles, he couldn't help but use his super hearing to see just what the gossip was about him, and maybe some other things floating around in the office.

The first were a bunch of older gentlemen huddled at a water cooler:

 _"So that's the new guy, huh? Looks about in his early 30's. practically a kid."_

 _"Yeah, but I heard he's one of the American branch's best reporters."_

 _"That clumsy brat? I'm sure they're just givin' him pity or somethin'."_

Clark figured that would be the first thing he'd have to hear. He felt a need to really prove them wrong, and show them just how great of a reporter he was hailed for. Though, not try _too_ hard. He still had an identity to uphold after all.

He turned his attention towards another group of guys who looked quite intimidating with their sour expressions pointed directly at him:

 _"So that's him? What a wimp."_

 _"I bet I could just blow on him, and he'd fall right over."_

 _"If he thinks he can just waltz on in and make all of us look bad, he's got another thing comin'."_

 _"You ain't gettin' nothing from us, American."_

Of course, it wouldn't be customary without the 'ol _rush the new guy_ plan brewing in the wind. He hoped it was all in his head, but rarely is it ever him overthinking it; both in _and_ out of disguise.

He then heard a huddle of women speaking among themselves; some his age, others older:

 _"That's him? He seems a lil useless, wouldn't you say?"_

 _"I dunno. I think the clutz type is cute in a guy."_

 _"Seriously? I mean, he's no Takizawa Hideaki, but..."_

 _"You girls are crazy, he's probably just some creep who came here to oogle over the cute high school girls like all the other foreigners here."_

 _"You're probably right. Let's just keep our distance for now."_

Sadly, he had a feeling this would be the case. Truth be told, he had no desire for female company at all. He just wanted to work, while traveling to see other parts of the world...at least that's what he would tell people if they asked.

Then, there came the more intriguing bit of discussion coming from a group of men and women discussing something in private:

 _"Hey, did you hear? Sailor V struck again."_

 _"Yeah, I did! She's been out and about for a while now!"_

 _"They say she's working with the elite investigate police department, and even stopped a string a jewelry heist!"_

 _"Wow! She's somethin'! I hear she does it all at night so as to not be seen."_

 _Hey, hey, speakin' of superheroes, I hear the new guy whose here came from metropolis. Y'know; where THE Superman is."_

 _"Seriously?-! I GOTTA ask 'em some questions!"_

 _"Kyaaa~ He is such a hunk! What I wouldn't give to be able to interview him in a more private setting~"_

 _"I'd love to see him and Sailor V work together. Wouldn't that be one for the papers."  
_

Sailor V—Clark remembered doing a bit of digging on that name while on his way to Tokyo by plane. She was a crime fighting vigilante with a flair for the theatrics; almost like a _certain_ rich boy he knew back in Gotham. She's had quite the reputation—not only in Tokyo, but all across Japan. She's even made a little attention overseas. Some in Metropolis have even made comparisons with Superman. As flattered as Clark, was, he didn't want there to be competition for whose the better hero. He was just impressed to see a young woman take a stance against crime. Since she's apparently working with the proper authorities, Clark figured he didn't need to worry too much about her. Still, he couldn't help be be curious as to who this 'Sailor V' truly was.

"...Clark-san!"

Clark's attention turned back to Mr. Yamazaki, who seemed a bit worried for him.

"O-Oh, sorry, sir...!" Clark apologized.

"Are you alright? Don't let their starring eyes get'cha down too much..."

"Oh, no, I was just, y'know, taking in this office...It really is something."

"Hmph. Well, I wouldn't want to brag, buuut, yes, we are quite the establishment." He said with a proud smile. "Come; let me show you more of our branch."

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere in the deepest, and darkest crevices of the blizzarding North Pole, there sat a domain that seemed almost separated from the rest of the world. It gave off a haunting presence to anyone who dared to stand before it. Inside, it was practically another dimension from Earth that was was surrounded in darkness and vein-like decor. The entire fortress was filled hundreds of devoted minions; both big and small, who were just as menacing as the last. They all stood attentively towards the woman who sat in her devilish throne, gazing into the crystal ball that was her staff.

"Yes...it appears he has another identity to uphold." The woman said, "Clark Kent—a feeble name that does not deserve to be a part of such a magnificent being...no matter." Without averting her gaze from the crystal ball, she turned her attention to her minions. "Have we made progress upon locating the legendary Silver Crystal?"

 _ **"NO, YOUR HIGHNESS..."**_

A disappointed sigh escaped from her lips. "As I feared. We must always be reminded that the Silver Crystal is the only means that our Queen may rise again. Until then, we will continue to provide human souls for her nourishment. Ask for the Superman, he might prove to be a pivotal asset to our goal."

Suddenly, a small burst of flames appeared before the woman's presence. The flame quickly dissipated, and from it appeared a single young man. He had blond, ruffled hair and was dressed in a black suit. He flaunted an air of superiority over the other minions that made him stand out among them all.

"Queen Beryl." The man said with a humble bow.

"Jedite." The Queen replied. "To what do I owe this meeting?"

"Please, your highness, If I may be so humble as to ask that I take on the honor of accepting this mission." Jedite requested. "As we speak, my monster, Morga, is prepared to gather hundreds of human souls. She will not fail you."

Queen Beryl gave a humorous chuckle. "You seem confident in her abilities...very well then. Go, Jedite. May she not fail me."

Jedite gave one last bow with a conniving smirk. "Yes, your highness."

"Good. In the meantime, I have my own matters to attend to." Queen Beryl said with a wicked grin. "It is time to see just what this ' _Superman_ ' can do."

"A wasted effort."

Suddenly, all eyes had turned towards the origin of the voice that came from above. It lingered in the shadows of the area like a ghost. It instilled fear in most of the minion's hearts, except Jedite, who was only mildly cautious. Queen Beryl looked up as well with disinterest in what would dare to try and attack her. Instead, she welcomed it with the smile of a challenge brewing.

There, from above that slowly descended from the shadows, was a being that transcended all naturalism that had been established to the other beings of the area. His imposing, human-like body was encased in metal with neon purple veins going through it. His back sprang six metal tentacles with sharp claws at the end of them to scan every single living being in the room. His skin was a sickly green, while his forehead donned an insignia of an upside down pyramid using three orbs hat connected to one another. And finally, his eyes glowed with a haunting stare of absolute superiority over those who opposed him.

He had finally touched the ground, as it irrupted into a string of veins under the ground that glowed through its surface. It looked like data routes that coursed through the entire area. All were caught by surprise, except Queen Beryl, who kept herself calm through out.

Once the being had finished his scan of the entire place, the lights slowly faded, and his tendrils subsided onto his back once more.

"Fascinating." The green-skinned being said. "Your entire base of operation is the center of its own energy-based panel, used to convert the positive energies of the human's essence as a key component of restoration of your queen. Such folly in your achievements of rebirth."

"And just who might _you_ be?" Jedite challenged.

"Stand down, Jedite." Queen Beryl announced. "He is an alley to our cause."

"' _Alley_ ' is an non-factual perception based only on your own desires for my aid." The being said as it turned to face the Queen. "I have no interest in playing into your hand. I need only to be an observer in the pursuit of knowledge about this ' _Queen Metalia'_ that you all worship."

"But of course." Queen Beryl agreed. "So long as you keep on our side, I shall provide you with all the knowledge you could ever want of our glorious queen."

"Then we are at an agreement." The being said. "As of today, I, Brainiac, shall align myself in a temporary pack to your kingdom."

A wicked grin formed on Beryl's lips. "That's just what I want to hear."

* * *

Clark had finally finished, what felt like, a long day filled with typing, proof-reading, and a heavy dose of cheap criticism at every turn from other co-workers. Unfortunately he knew that was only a taste of what was to come for the rest of his time in Tokyo. Despite that, he _did_ enjoy being in a new environment of reporting. It gave him a feeling of reinvention—like he could create a new reputation here, as oppose to being the clumsy, wimpy Kansas boy that he's known for back home.

As he made his commute back to his apartment, Clark found himself, once again, passing by the shopping district of Juban. Just as it was this morning, it was drowned in stores, markets, and other forms of advertisement. Clark thought about maybe picking up a souvenir for for Lois on his way back.

However, that suggestion was immediately thrown out once he saw the huge crowd of people gathering near the jewelry store. It was a majority of women from working, to housewives, to even school girls. All of them seemed allured by the multitude of jewelry that the store had to offer. Clark could barely see into the store with so many women inside.

Just as he was about to walk away, Clark happened to notice a lone girl leaving the shop. To his surprise, it turned out to be the same young school girl with the blond pigtails. She seemed disappointed about something—which Clark figured was due to her not having money for anything in the store. He'd known that look well; it was the same look he always had when his reporter's salary wasn't paying enough, and that new bike with custom wheels was calling his name. Sure he could fly, but that didn't mean he couldn't commit to the secret identity.

She gave a gloomy sigh as she looked at a piece of paper that Clark assumed was part of her disdain. "If only I'd studied a little harder..."

Clark felt sorry for the poor girl, and wanted to at least cheer her up a bit.

"Y'know, math was never _my_ strong suit." Clark said.

the girl looked up to see Clark, who gave her a humble smile in the hopes that she wasn't too down.

"Hey, I remember you..." She said with a little more pep in her tone, "Yeah, you're that guy—the one from this morning. Was the kitty alright?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure the cat is fine now thanks to you." Clark said.

"I see. Well at least that's _some_ good news." The girl said happily. "Hmmm, say, are you new around here? I've never seen you before today."

"Oh, yes, I am." Clark nodded. "I came here just last night from Metropolis."

"Metropolis...I know that place!" She said with a brightness in her eyes. "That's where Superman is! Man he's soooo cool! The way he flies around in the sky and kicks the bad guys' butts is so awesome! Did you ever meet him?-!"

"I...have met with him on occasions."

"Kyaaaa~ That's so cool! I wish I could meet him!" She said cheerfully. "I heard people have seen him in Tokyo today! What a coincidence, right?"

"Naw, not really. In fact, I was sent here from my newspaper company to report on him being here." Clark lied with strong convincing.

"Wow, a newspaper company? I didn't think news papers were still a thing since they're so outdated." The girl said, "I mean, there _is_ the internet nowadays."

"True, but most people in Metropolis love the classics."

"Huh. And to think, I thought only my folks still read newspapers." the pig-tailed girl said. "Ugh, speaking of my folks..."

She took one more look at the paper she had in her hand and sighed depressingly again. Clark happened to peek, and saw that it was actually an English test with a very low grade on it. He couldn't help feel a sting in his own gut once he saw it.

"Um...well...there's always next time." Clark assured her. It naturally failed.

"Aaaguh! I hate this stupid test!" The pig-tailed girl exclaimed.

She balled up the paper and threw it over her head. Clark's eyes followed the paper, and watched it fall right onto a stranger's head. The stranger grabbed it just as it fell, and unraveled it for himself.

"Hey! Watch where you throw your garbage, bun head!"

The girl quickly turned around with an apologetic expression. "O-Oh, sorry!"

The stranger who grabbed it was a young man who looked about in his late teens with black short hair, and a pair of shades. He was dressed in rather expensive clothes—or at least expensive compared to the shabby clothes Clark was wearing. The blond girl reacted with fearful squeal as she saw the young man actually read her failed test paper.

"Wow~ 30%?" He said with a mocking tone. "You really should consider studying a lil harder next time, Bun head."

"Augh! I—W-Well, that's none of your business!" The blond girl said as she snatched the paper out of his hand. "Jerk!"

The blond stormed off from the two men without even saying a word to Clark, and walked away in a huffy mood. Clark was a bit disappointed that he couldn't at least give her a little bit of encouragement to lesson her problem. Teenagers were difficult to handle, whether they have superpowers like him or not, it seemed. He barely had enough control with Conner, let alone a regular girl.

He looked back at the young man, to see that he had turned his attention towards the jewelry store in front of him. He removed his sunglasses to reveal his blue eyes that seemed so focused on the place as if it were a television. Clark wondered just what was it about the seemingly normal jewelry store that had him so infatuated with it? His hero instincts kicked into high gear and possessed him to investigate.

"Fondness for jewelry?" Clark asked.

The young man turned his gaze towards Clark. He didn't seem too happy about the reporter's presence by the intense stare he was giving. It wasn't enough to turn Clark away though. He'd experienced worse glares from tougher foes. The young man eyed Clark up and down before breaking off in a small chuckle to himself. Clark was confused by this, until the young man just starred at him with a sly grin.

"Well well, funny to be meeting _you_ here of all places."

"Um...excuse me?"

"Gotta say; nice disguise." The boy mentioned. "Bad posture, large baggy clothes to hide your body, wimpy voice, and I would assume a klutzy personality to boot."

Clark rose a brow. He could tell where this was leading, but wanted to make sure it was _actually_ going the route he speculated it was before revealing anything.

Clark laughed nervously. "I-I'm not quite following what you're—"

"Oh spare me the act." The young man grew closer to speak to him in a low voice. "I know it's really you...Superman."

As he feared, Clark had been discovered. He didn't bother trying to present himself as the hunched over wimp that he'd been portraying for the longest time. He stood up straight, and puffed out his chest, while looking down at the young man with arms crossed.

"Who are you?" Clark asked with his authoritative voice.

"Wow...you really know how to switch at the drop of a hat." the young man said, "But you can relax; you're secrets safe with me. Also I'm not your enemy."

"Y'know, most people who _say_ they're not my enemy, usually end up proving themselves wrong."

"Then you can count me as the exception." The young man said, "My name is Mamoru, Mamoru Chiba."

"For the sake of my cover, you will refer to me as Clark Kent." Clark stated.

"Deal." Mamoru nodded with a hand to offer.

Clark shook on it, and dropped the authoritative demeanor for a more engaging one to allow a sense of comfort. This seemed to work as Mamoru began to loosen up a bit. Clark saw his fist were clenched in his pocket, and his teeth were gritted.

"Anyway, why are you starring at this jewelry store?" Clark asked.

"Huh? I...actually don't know." Mamoru said, looking back at the store. "Just something about this place...it doesn't feel quite right."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't quite put my finger on it, but...it feels off to me."

"Off—how?"

"Well..."

 _"_ _—_ _Hang on, ladies and gentlemen, it appears we're getting word of a Breaking News report happening right as we speak!"_

Clark and Mamoru's attention immediately turned towards the jumbo screen that was playing on one of the buildings.

 _"It appears that a plane is currently hurdling into the Eastern outskirts of Tokyo. Here's all we know at this time; there are about 50 to 60 passengers about the burning craft. There are no further details but keep it here, as we continue to update you on the very latest!"_

Clark turned his eyes towards the East. He could practically hear the engines bursting into flames from his position. Yet, he couldn't hear a single voice in the plane itself. Regardless, the plane could hear people out there in the East, and that was reason enough.

"I'll be right back." He told Mamoru, before running off into the nearest, empty alleyway.

Mamoru stood there for a moment to watch him go, before strolling away. There was no way he was going to wait there for him. He had other business he needed to attend to.

* * *

Clark appeared through the smog from one of the manhole covers, and deeper into the empty alley. Once far enough away from wandering eyes, he began to undress himself of his civilian clothing—from his shoes to his glasses—at an almost impossible speed.

What was left on him was his signature blue, full-body suit that showed off his muscular physique. He also had a pair of red boots, a gold design around his waist to form a belt, and a large red and yellow crest on his symbol that resembled a stylized ' _S_ '. Meanwhile his long red cape flowed gracefully in the wind as he stood there in all his majesty.

The Man of Steel _—Superman._

He bent at the knees to gather momentum in his legs, as the ground under him began to blow smoke around his body. Then the ground shattered into cracks as he leaped off of it and soared high into the air like a jet across the skies. He had flown through the clouds at unbelievable speed, all while breaking through the sound barrier with ease. The world seemed to have move in slow motion while he flew at top speed across the blue sky.

He tried to hear for the sounds of people screaming, but there was nothing but silence. However, he did smell the stench of smoke slowly approaching. Superman picked up his speed and soared beyond the capable abilities of even the fastest man-made jet; practically breaking the sound barrier in his wake.

Before long, he had seen something slowly descending towards the ground with flames burning one of its wings and black smoke flowing in its wake. Upon closer look, he realized it was the plane slowly spiraling out of control. Once again, he heard no sounds of screaming civilians. However, he did hear the rapid beating of a single heart from inside it. Could it have been a passenger or the pilot? There was no time to ask.

Superman first needed to get the plane to a stable position before stopping it entirely. The Man of Steel flew right towards the burning wing and took hold of its scorching metal like it was nothing. From there, he pulled hard on to it in keeping it from spiraling out of control. It took a considerable amount of his own strength then he thought it would, but he nonetheless found it within himself to stop the plane from spinning into the Earth's atmosphere, and had kept it on a stable track to nose dive into the Earth.

Once he was able to get it stable, Superman released the wing, and flew alongside it. He took a deep breath, and blew a mist of pure ice that had been able to cool down the fire and freeze the wing into an ice sickle. From there, he took flight towards the front of the falling aircraft.

Once he was farthest away from it quickly approaching him, he stopped and held himself in the air to prepare for the plane to fall right towards him.

Superman took a deep breath before he opened his arms wide and braced for impact. Just as he feared, the plane had slammed right at him like a massive wall and pushed him back with intense force. The wind around him blew the very wind out of him, but still he held the plane, as the ground quickly approached him. The heat of the plane's metal, and the intense pressure was enough to have Clark's arm writhing in absolute agony.

But still, with all his superhuman might, The Man of Steel pushed against the force of the falling plane, and had begun to slow it's dangerous decent down. As it had slowly begun to reach the very edge of the Earth, Superman had given one last push that made a large crater in it's nose.

Finally, the plane had come to a slow, heavy stop as The man in blue was able to successfully hold it in the air, before clutching at its sides, and letting it gently fall onto the ground with a loud thud.

Clark took an exhausted exhale of breath before letting go of the plane levitating onto the bridge of the plane's nose to greet the pilots; To his surprise, there wasn't anyone even in the pilot chairs. However, he could still hear that single heartbeat inside the plane.

Superman flew over towards the main door, and ripped it right off its hinges. The moment his foot touched the inside of the plane, he immediately felt an unrelenting chill overcome him—brimming with a sensation of dread and evil that he hadn't felt in a long while Nevertheless he stepped further inside.

Besides it being dark due to all the windows being closed, there was nothing truly out of the ordinary. The only other bother was how empty it was...that is, except for the sole person who Clark immediately noticed was sitting in the far back. Due to how dark the inside of the plane was, he could only make out a shadow sitting in the inside seat of the plane.

"Excuse me." Superman called. "Are you alright?"

The figure let out a low chuckle that Superman heard loud and clear.

"Yes...I'm quite well." Said a calm, female voice. "All thanks to _your_ valiant effort."

Superman was confused for a moment. He was just about to approach the woman, when all of a sudden, every single window in the plane shot up and brought a blinding light into the darkness. It had bothered Superman's eyes for a moment, before he was able to see again.

He was finally able to see the lone woman sitting in her seat at the very back of the plane. It was a woman with long, wavy red hair, and pale skin. She wore a simple, dark purple dress that went to her neck and a black background. She made note of her armlets and bracelet as she simply sat back with her chin resting on her wrist; looking out of her window in contemplation. She also made note of the strange horns coming from her shoulders. But what stood out most was the crest on her forehead in the form of a black boomerang.

She traced her dull orange eyes towards Superman, and finally turned his way.

"So you are him; the fabled Man of Steel." The woman said with a devilish smile. "How I've longed to meet you."

"I'm flattered." Superman nodded. "However I'd appreciated it more if you tell me why you're the only one on this plane."

The woman slowly rose from her chair, and sauntered out of her row. She now stood before Superman, a distance away from him, yet he couldn't help but feel an uneasiness from her.

"This was but one of my many test." She said almost humbly. "I merely wanted to see for myself if the words about you proved true."

"Well, I hope I didn't disappoint." Superman humored.

"Far from it." She admitted.

"Be that as it may, I'm afraid I can't let this go unnoticed." Superman stated with his arms crossed. "Someone could've gotten hurt, and for that, I'm afraid you're going to have to come with me."

"Oh, there won't be a need for that. _I_ will let myself out, thank you very much." She said with a wicked smile. "I look forward to seeing what you have to offer to us. Farewell."

Suddenly, the woman had begun to be submerged in a form of distortion that was making her body fade into an invisible mist that had started from her feet and was quickly working its way up to the rest of her body.

"Wait!" Superman called. He levitated off the ground and quickly flew over towards her, but by the time he had gotten close enough, the woman had vanished. He attempted to use his X-ray vision to see if there was anything left of her, but was fruitless. She really was gone.

Clark was left there, alone in the empty plane; just as confused as could be. Could it have been possible that one single woman was able to lift a plane so effortlessly into the air, just to crash it? _how_ did she do it would be the follow up question? The third was the obvious _who was she_? and the last left to question as to what other test did she have in mind? Too many questions spiraling in his mind, and none of them with answers.

"I think it's time I get some answers around here..." Clark said to himself.

* * *

The afternoon had slowly turned to night with the stars and the moon illuminating the never-sleeping Juban district of Tokyo. Even on a weeknight, there were still plenty of people out and about with the desire to literally ' _shop till they drop'_ coursing through them.

Deep in one of the many alleyways of the town, a lone cat scurried on through the dark shadows; seemingly in search of something important due to how quickly it ran. When it came to towering obstacles, it simply leaped off the balls of its feet and scaled the concrete walls until it was scurrying across the rooftops.

It was just about to leap off of one of the buildings onto the neighboring ones, when all of a sudden, the black cat found itself landing right into the arms of a man who was suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

The cat looked up at this new set of arms and saw that it was none other then _the_ Superman; smiling down back at it.

"Not so fast, little one." Superman said to it. "I don't think the ' _nine lives_ ' thing is meant to be taken so literally."

The Man of Steel slowly descended back onto the rooftop that the cat leaped off of, and placed the cat back on the ground. It turned to face Superman with those big red eyes, and sat there—starring at him. Superman returned the stare for a few moments, before he put on a smile that one would wear upon finding out a secret.

"You're not much for words, are you?"

For a moment the cat tilted its head to the side in confusion.

"Come on, I know you can talk." Superman said, "I can see your voice box; it's...peculiar looking for a normal cat."

The black cat's big red eyes widened, before it gave up the charade with a defeated sigh.

"It appears I have been discovered." The cat said with the voice of a woman's. "As expected from the _Man of Steel_. Or should I say Clark Kent?"

"You've been spying on me." Superman said with arms crossed.

"More or less~" She said with a sky grin that only a sneaky cat could produce.

"Then I take it _you're_ the one who sent the message to the fortress."

"Ah, so you _did_ receive it."

"It wasn't exactly hard to miss. You _did_ appear out of nowhere through a hologram. Took me by surprise." Superman admitted, "So that beautiful woman I saw in the yellow dress, and black long hair was you, right?"

"Oh, stop it, you're making me blush~" Luna said bashfully. "But yes, that was me. Allow me the pleasure of introducing myself; my name is Luna. I am, what you might call, a guardian."

"A guardian of...?"

"You'll see soon enough." She answered. "Before that, I'm surprised that you came here on such short notice."

"Actually, I just got lucky." Superman admitted. "I'm really here for a foreign exchange program. Your message's timing just so happen to correlate with my arrival."

"I see. How fortunate for me." Luna said, "But I assume you have a few questions that have less to do with a tour of the town, correct?"

Superman nodded as he took a knee to the kitten and leaned in close. "Earlier today, there was a plane that was hurdling towards the East of Tokyo. When I stopped it, there was a woman inside who said she would put me through test."

A grave look appeared on Luna's face. Superman was surprised that she even _had_ the ability to make facial expressions as a cat. She was taken into deep thought to gather her thoughts for a moment, before coming to a conclusion.

"Okay...Here's the gist of it all." Luna explained. "You see, there have been strange occurrences that have been happening in this small town; things far too great for even the police can handle. I believe an unparalleled threat has begun to try and take hold of this city from the shadows. If nothing is done soon...well, I fear to really think about it..."

"And that's why you called me." Superman said. "Do you happen to know what this threat is?"

"I already have an good guess as to who; they call themselves 'The Dark Kingdom'."

"The Dark Kingdom?" Clark repeated. "Their name certainly paints an awful picture, but this is the first time I've heard of them."

"That's not too surprising. They've been dormant for centuries; unseen by the eyes of neither human or otherworldly."

"Until today, I take it?"

"Precisely." Luna nodded, "I can't say much as of right now, but all I can do is ask of you to take up a small request for me."

"Well well it's not everyday I get to work with a talking kitten." Clark smiled. "Before I agree, what is this _small request_ you need?"

"I'm glad you asked. It happens to correlate with my being a guardian..." Luna looked around to make sure no one was listening. Superman followed out of confusion before settling his eyes back on her. "I...need you to watch after that girl you met earlier."

Clark looked at the cat as if she had said something odd—which wasn't too hard to do, all things coincidences just don't seem to stop for the Man of Steel. First a coincidence occurs with the message from Luna matching at the perfect time with Clark being sent overseas to where she wanted to meet him. Then, he's asked to watch over a girl whom he met by accident by a cat he also met on accident. He was beginning to wonder whether or not this really _was_ all just coincidences, or something more.

"Um...why her?" Clark asked.

"Let's just say that she's been...chosen." Luna begrudgingly admitted.

"Chosen for what?"

"Again, I can't say much as of right now, but I only ask of you to take care of her, and make sure she doesn't cause too much trouble."

"Isn't that suppose to be _your_ job as a so-called guardian?" Clark pointed out a sly smirk. "Just saying."

"Ha ha, very funny..." She said with a deadpan tone. "Unfortunately there's only so much I can do in this form right now, so I won't of much help to her. That's where _you_ come in."

"So that's all?" Clark questioned. "Watch over that young girl, while protecting this part of Tokyo?"

"Precisely." Luna nodded. "So...will you help us?"

There was no need to second guess himself; of course he would help anyway he could, however Clark wasn't gullible—he knew there was more happening here then what Luna was telling him. For now, he wanted to know as much as he could about this ' _Dark Kingdom_ ' as soon as possible. He wondered if the others knew anything about them? Maybe Diana or Arthur have any history about them. Or perhaps Bruce has already gotten a lead on them before anyone else? He'd have to wait and contact them tonight. Until then, he figured he might as well put himself to good use in Tokyo. He's yet to actually stay in Japan, rather then swoop by, save lives, then leave again.

"I'll gladly help in any way I can." Clark stated with an honest smile.

"Perfect!" Luna said happily. "I'll be sure to let you know if there's more that needs to be done. If you'll excuse me, I need to visit somebody. It's time she knew who she really was."

Luna took off past Superman, and stood on the edge of the rooftop. He was about to instinctively go after her, but remembered she was no ordinary cat, who probably leaped farther bounds then that.

She gave one last look over her shoulders with a mysterious smile to leave off with; "Until we meet again, Superman."

The black cat leaped off of the roof and disappeared into the shadows of the alleyways below. There was still the trace of her heart beat so he was happy she was alive down there.

Clark took a moment and put all this new information together with everything else he's learned so far; mysterious woman with great power, a talking guardian cat, a young girl with a destiny, and this _Dark Kingdom_ trying to cause havoc in this, otherwise, harmless little district in Tokyo. He wondered if he hadn't stumbled into a sort of civil war between two groups? He could at least see who the bad guys were this time, but that didn't mean the good guys are any trustworthy people either.

Clark had very little choice in the matter. What came first was protecting the citizens of Tokyo, and everything else a forethought...or at least his job came to a close second. Now all that was left to do was wait until something occurred. He thought about following the cat to the girl, but realized that would probably startle her. What was there left to—

 _"HELP! Please someone help me—I-I don't know what's happening—what is this...I feel so strange—please help me, mom and dad—mom, what're you doing to me?-!_ "

A multitude of voices rang through his head from a quarter mile away from his location. They all called out in dire need of rescue.

"They're playing my song." Clark said. He leaped off the roof and swooped over towards the origin of the screaming occurred. As he flew closer, he began to hear something else with the screaming; an odd wiring noise that resembled miniature gears grinding in a hollow shell. They rubbed against a ridged surface that resembled something that he'd hear from Bruce's grapnel gun, only thicker and with a distinctive zipping noise to it.

Whatever it was, Clark didn't want to waste time wondering. He kicked it into high gear, and soared across the city. Judging from the sounds of those multiple metal wires shooting out, coupled with the screams of civilian women, his only hope was that it wasn't what he feared it would be.

* * *

Her vision began to fade the tighter it gripped. She had begun to lose all feeling in her throat with no way for air to come out. She wanted to do everything in her power to fight back against this creature, but deep down, she couldn't. Despite this... _thing_ strangling her, she couldn't bare to lay a hand on her dear mother. There was just no way. As so, the young girl continued to endure the pain, while begging for her own life.

In the corner of her eye, she could see the many other woman and girls who had filled her shop earlier—they were almost motionless as they sat huddled together in a small pile, while three of the most strangest things she'd ever seen kept circling them with their palms open and scanners examining them.

They had the stature of a human man, but...they looked absolutely terrifying. Their bodies were a combination of just thin organs like intestine, veins and of the like, wrapped in strange armor and metal. Their heads were nothing but skulls that had been stabbed with many needles connected to the back of their necks. But what really chilled her to the bone were those glowing, lifeless eyes they had.

Her attention was brought back to her current situation when she felt the grip tighten.

"P-Please...! Mom, stop...!" The girl said with a hoarse voice. "W-Why...?-! I don't...u-understand...!"

The mother, a spitting image of her daughter, only chuckled to herself. "You stupid girl...I'm not your mother."

The girl struggled to keep her eyes focused long enough to see who this person is if it wasn't her own mother. Suddenly, the woman had slowly mutated into something unrecognizable; a grotesque, and wrinkly old witch of a woman, whose eyes grew yellow pupils and black sclera. Her face contorted into a long, toothy grin that would even make the Joker jealous. Her hair was as wild and black as her dress, compared to her so-called ' _daughter's_ ' short, copper hair in a bow. And finally, a massive scar of an old gash had been permanently left on her forehead. Her long, bony hands continued to close in on her windpipes and only grew tighter as the girl looked at her in horror.

 ** _"Your mother is in the basement."_** The witch said in a harsh voice. _**"And once I've finished killing you, She'll be next! You'll both meet each other in the otherworld!"**_

"I don't think so."

Suddenly, the shoe was on the other foot, as the witch felt her own neck being grabbed from behind. What followed was her arm being broken by, what felt like, a boulder hit it in point blank range. She howled viciously as she dropped the weakened, unconscious girl. She was promptly caught before hitting the ground, and was placed in a safer location behind the counter.

Once she was out of the way, the Man of Steel levitated into the air to look over the enemies that have revealed themselves to him.

"So _that_ was the wiring I heard." Superman said, looking at the robots. "Those are Brainiac's drones. So _he's_ involved in all this. This just makes things worse..."

Superman eyed the witch again, who was groaning in agony as she popped her arm back into place with ease. He figured a light punch on the arm wasn't enough.

 ** _"You...! Queen Beryl has told me about you...!"_** The witch exclaimed.

"Queen Beryl...?" Superman pondered. "I wonder...is _that_ the name of the woman from the plane?" He looked back at the witch. "That aside, you should surrender now. If I won't stop you, Brainiac will do worse."

 _ **"Be that as it may, you're too late!"**_ She said with an evil grin. _**"As we speak, those brainless women have already been drained of enough energy to feed The Great Ruler!"**_

"Great ruler, huh? A nickle for everytime I heard _that_ one..." Superman mumbled.

 _ **"It is only a matter of inevitability before you too surrender yourself to her almighty power!"**_ The witch threatened. _**"The sky will grow dark, the seas will rise, fire will spread across the planet, and the universe will finally belong to is no one who can stop us. Not even you."**_

Superman's lips couldn't help but grow into a cheeky smile. "You must be new to the planet. Allow me to show you just who I am."

The witch had heard enough, and looked over towards the three robot minions.

 ** _"Destroy him!"_ **She ordered. _**"Make it hurt."**_

The Brainiac bots turned their attention towards Superman in the air. Two of them used their first attack by shooting their wires towards the Man of Steel in the calculated percentage of hitting him. Naturally those proved false. Superman took hold of both of them mid-shot, and held onto them so tight that they began to crack.

With a cocky smirk on his face, he pulled one of the claws towards him, thus sending one of the minions his way. Once close enough, he let go of its wire, and dealt a devastating punch right into its bony cheek with enough force to create its own shock wave, and sent the creature flying right into the wall.

He brought the second one over with both hands, and clasped his hands together to finish it with a double axe handle punch straight into the ground. The impact had created a crater in the robot's wake, as it practically shattered once it hit.

The third robot planted its feet into the ground with wires coming from its legs. It opened its arms wide, as they revealed to have strange circular vents going across them. It's mouth unhinged to reveal another vent that was lodged in its throat. Superman braced for what he knew would come next.

A wave of pressure from its sonic emitters hit the Man of Steel with a heavy dose of sensory overload. It was intense enough to get him out of the air and back onto the ground to cover his ears. Though it didn't hurt him as intensely as he expected, his hearing, vision, and all other heightened senses were being turned to a level that struck agony into Superman. He was going to bleed if he didn't stop it quickly.

As such, Clark looked into the eye of the storm. His eyes began to glow a hue of red, before emitting thick beams of intense heat from his eyes, that burned through the sonic emitters and burn through the last robot left standing like a hot knife on butter. He took a deep breath as his senses quickly returned back to normal.

He turned his attention back towards the witch, who stood there—dumbfounded at how easily her three new minions were dispatched.

"So then, anymore subordinates for me to get rid of, or are you ready to surrender peacefully?" Superman asked.

 _ **"Heh, so you're not as bad as I thought you'd be..."**_ She said, _**"But I doubt someone as noble as you would lack a conscience."**_ She rose her arms into the air as she faced the unconscious women on the floor. _**"Now rise, my vessels who have given your energy to the Great Ruler! Awaken!"**_

The moment she said that, the woman had all begun to rise to their feet and faced Superman with the same, glowing eyes. This was clearly a trance, but Clark wondered if it was from the witches own abilities, or the work of Brainiac? Since now wasn't the time to tell, he focused on how he was go about defeating these possessed women. Never mind chivalry, he needed to worry about how much he needed to hold back so as to not seriously harm them.

"Well, this just became a hassle..." Superman said to himself.

Meanwhile, the witch behind the army of women began cackling as she sent them marching towards the Man of Steel. He prepared to face off the hoard with as little strength as possible.

"That's enough, you witch!"

The voice of a young girl had come from the entrance of the jewelry store. Both the witch and Superman's eyes centered towards the door; there stood a lone girl who looked to be in her early teens.

"It's the girl from earlier..." Superman said with a confused look on his face. "But...what is she wearing?"

The blond, pig-tailed girl was now dressed in a rather strange outfit;

It resembled a Japanese sailor school uniform but of a white leotard with a blue collar of three stripes on it, a red neckband with a crescent moon on the front, white shoulder pads, white long gloves, gold earrings with crescent moons, and red circular hairpieces in the balls of her pigtails. On her forehead is a golden tiara with a red gem in its center, while a brooch was worn on the red bow of her chest that seemed to be made of actual gold. On her lower half was an unusually short blue skirt, a red bow on the back of the waist, and a pair of red, knee-high boots.

"Oookay...?" Superman said to himself with even more confusion.

 _ **"And just who the hell are you?"**_ The witch asked with Superman silently agreeing. _**"If you're here to stop me, then you're only wasting your** **—"**_

"KYAAAAA~ Oh my gosh!"

The young girl ran right past the witch with a shove, and through the army of women like their were made of paper, just for her to stop right in front of a startled Superman with whimsical eyes that sparkles in those blue orbs of hers. The goofy smile only added to the fangirling she was doing.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" She exclaimed in excitement. "Y-You're really him! You're THE Superman! I-I don't know what to say! Ican'tbelieveIactuallygettoseeyouinpersonI'vealwayswantedtomeetyou orsolongit'ssocoolthatIgettoseeyouhereandnowtslikeadreamcometrue! Its so great to meet you!" She finished all of that with a hand held out for him to shake.

"Um...yes, uh, likewise..." Superman said with a nervous smile as she shook her hand. "I assume you must be...Sailor V?"

"Eh? Sailor V?" The girl wondered.

Just then, the witch had risen off of the ground and roared a shriek that hurt both Superman and the sailor heroine's ears.

 _ **"You! How dare you shove me like that?-!"**_ She yelled bitterly. _**"Just who the hell do you think you are?-!"**_

"Oh, me? I'm, uh...O-Oh, yeah...!"

The pig-tailed girl suddenly got into stance as she faced the witch. "I am the Pretty Guardian, who fights for love and for justice!" She stood in her signature pose with determination in her eyes. "I am Sailor Moon! And now in the name of the moon, I will punish you~"

...

...

...

"...um...what?" Superman questioned.

Just as the moment passed, the girl named Sailor Moon's face immediately grew a beet red as she began to feel the full extent of embarrassment for not only doing that ridiculous pose, but also doing it in front of her idol.

"P-Please forget everything you just saw...okay?" She pleaded timidly towards Superman.

"O-Oh, of course..." Superman agreed.

 _ **"AAAAUGH! Enough of this foolishness! You think those stupid catchphrases are enough to stop me?-! In your dreams, little girl!"**_ The witch exclaimed. _ **"Now my minions; destroy them!"**_

The possessed women all regrouped and slowly moved in on the both of them like a mob. Their eyes glowed with an almost yellow hue the closer they stepped in unison. Superman had already scanned their brains for any abnormalities; nothing that belonged to Brainiac, but their was a strange mist that completely submerged their brains in a billow of smoke.

"Oh no...!" Sailor Moon panicked. "N-Now what do we do...?"

"Sailor Moon, watch out!"

Sailor Moon reacted by narrowly jumping out of the way of one of the women jumping towards her. She continued this by dodging at the right time to avoid attacks.

Meanwhile, Superman opted to take them head on. They would come running at him with little strategy or tactics, and allowed Superman to get behind them to give them a light chop to the neck. It was enough to at least put them in an unconscious state. But with one he took down, another bunch came right behind that one. It almost felt never ending with how many kept coming at them. Superman had to be extra careful not to hurt them.

At one point, Sailor Moon had narrowly escaped being stabbed by a broken glass bottle, that shattered upon hitting the ground. Sailor Moon fell back and was against the wall with barely any will or strength to stand up right away.

"Ah! I'm bleeding!" She cried at the sight of her scrapped knee. "I don't like this...!"

"Sailor Moon!" Superman called. He tried to go towards her, but was overwhelmed by the possessed women, who all came running towards him. He began to realize that even the ones he previously knocked out were getting back up again.

Meanwhile from behind the front desk, a familiar black cat came running towards her aid.

"Sailor Moon, what're you doing?" Luna whispered. "You _need_ to fight back too! Superman can only do so much against humans! _You_ have to attack and defeat them _and_ that monster!"

Sailor Moon took one good look at the monster floating above the scene with that cackling laugh of hers. that coupled with seeing Superman having a difficult time with the possessed women only added to the fear that was slowly settling inside of her. She felt as though she was way over her head to even come to the jewelry store like this. She had only recently gotten the weird school costume a few minutes ago, and now she was expected to fight? That was asking way to much from a fourteen-year-old girl so suddenly. Sailor Moon began to tear up and tremble against the wall.

"B-But...But I...!" She uttered on the verge of tears. "I can't...I just...!"

"Eugh! Sailor Moon!"

The pig-tailed girl turned her attention back towards the Man of Steel, who had successfully gotten the possessed women off of him without harming them too badly. He flew towards Sailor Moon and took a knee by her side.

"Are you alright?" Superman asked with his most comforting tone.

"U-Um...Yes..." She nodded.

"So, _this_ is what you're a guardian for?" Superman said to Luna.

"Hey, cut me some slack; I never said she'd be 100% prepared for everything!"

"W-What?-! You just thought throwing me into all of this was okay?-! And now, because of that, I...I...!" She could barely form the words without letting the tears fall down her rosy cheeks. "I-I can't do this...this is too scary...! I don't even know how to use these powers...! I don't know anything about what's happening to me...! I-I just—"

"Shhhh, it's alright." Superman assured her. "Here's what I need you to do, okay?"

"O-Okay..." She sniffed.

"Just close your eyes...focus on me."

"But...!"

"Don't worry. Just close your eyes."

"O-Okay..." Sailor Moon mumbled. She did as he said and closed her eyes.

"Now...focus on my voice." Clark told her in a calming voice. "Pretend its an island...out in the ocean...can you see it? When you can, swim towards it."

Sailor Moon grew calm. her mind had suddenly blocked out all other noises. She felt as though there was no immediate danger surrounding her. Sailor Moon began to see something appear within her mind. She envisioned his voice as an actual island; one that had everything she could ever hope for—there was sweets, jewelry, a new outfit, and...something else...something she'd never seen before. It glowed so brightly, and yet, it didn't blind her. Instead, it seemed to grow closer. The closer it got, the clearer it became. She reached out for it, and almost felt its warm sensation in the palm of her hand.

It was so close...so close...so—

Without warning, Sailor Moon was brought back to reality by the sound of something hitting the wall beside her. It revealed to be Superman, who had been pushed back by the floating witch, with her hands glowing in white flames. It didn't seem to affect Superman that badly as he brushed it off like it was nothing.

"Sailor Moon, are you okay?" Superman asked.

"Y-Yes but...I-I...!" Sailor Moon tried to explain what she saw, but couldn't coherently form it into words. "I-I don't know..."

 _ **"AGH! Enough prattling about! Its time I finish you both!"**_

The witch's arms grew to unbelievable length as it came rushing for the two with the creaking sound of a tree. Superman was prepared to incinerate the arm with his heat vision if he had to, while Sailor Moon braced herself for the worst.

Just as the arm came within inches of attacking them, it suddenly stopped dead in its tracks. What stopped it? Nothing more then a single red rose that shot into the floor.

"A rose...?" Superman said in disbelief.

All eyes, including Superman, Luna, and Sailor Moon's, shot towards an opening in one of the high balcony of the store. It was there that a mysterious fellow stood in all his pride.

A young man dressed in a white dress shirt and bow tie, over a white vest and a black tuxedo with white gloves. What added to the look was a pair of white gloves, a flowing black and red cape, a black top hat, and a white domino mask.

 _ **"Another one? Who are you suppose to be?-!"**_ The witch demanded.

"I am known as Tuxedo Mask." The man said.

Superman side-eyed Sailor Moon out of curiosity. "Friend of yours?"

"No...?" She said at first.

"Sailor Moon..."

"...Maybe...?" She said with a confused look on her face.

"...you have to remember that crying isn't going to solve any of your problems."

"Y-Yeah, maybe not, but...! But...!" Sailor Moon began to doubt herself again. "I don't think I can..."

She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked to see it belonged to Superman, who was by her side.

"You can do this, Sailor Moon." Superman said. "I know it must be hard to have to go through this with no real understanding of the outcome, but trust me; I know what it's like. Sometimes you just gotta take a leap of faith. Trust part comes later."

"Leap of faith..."

Sailor Moon could see the confidence in Superman's eyes. He truly believed that she had what it took to do something about all this. But why did he trust her so much? If it were him, he could take all these ladies down without a sweat, so why did he want her to do it? To prove herself? What was there to prove? So many questions floated around her head that she couldn't make sense of which one she needed to focus on.

Instead, she did what Superman said and wiped the tears from her eyes. If the Man of Steel had faith in her to do what was needed, then so did she.

"Right!" Sailor Moon said boldly. She stood back up to face the flying witch; though still scared, she wanted to show that she had what it took to take that leap of faith by herself. "I'm ready!"

"Now _that_ sounds like a hero." Superman said. "Since we got _that_ outta the way..."

Superman stood in front of Sailor Moon and planted his feet to the ground. Coming at him was a hoard of possessed women who had broken glass and other makeshift weapons in hand. The Man of Steel opened his hands wide just as they were close enough to them. Once the time was right, Superman clapped his hands together, and sent a shock wave through the jewelry store, that not only did the windows shatter, but it was even accompanied with the sound of a lightning strike. The clap was effective enough as the possessed women all suddenly fell to the floor; both unconscious or exhausted from their energy being drained.

 _ **"W-What...?-! No!"**_ The witch yelled.

"You could've done that earlier, y'know..." Sailor Moon mentioned.

"True...but then you wouldn't have learned a lesson." Superman noted.

"You bet she wouldn't have." Luna agreed. "Now, Sailor Moon, use your tiara and yell ' _Moon Tiara Action_!'"

"W-Wha...? Why would I wanna do that?" Sailor Moon said with doubt. "What's gonna happen—"

"Just do it already!" Luna yelled.

"Okay, okay!"

Sailor Moon reached for her tiara; it glowed as bright as the actual moon and was removed from her head like magic. The tiara then became a glowing disk that levitated off of the prints of her fingers.

"Moon Tiara! Action!" Sailor Moon called.

She gracefully tossed the tiara towards the floating witch like a Frisbee and watched in glow brighter, and brighter by the second. Its heat was far too intense for the witch to take as it began to slowly incinerate her into dust from toe to head. She let out a shrill scream, before finally dissipating into a pile of dust on the red carpet below. Before she vanished completely, all of the souls that she had taken, swam back into the many unconscious women.

Sailor Moon called her tiara back to her; it returned to be a normal golden headpiece that instantly went back to her forehead.

"Whoa...! That...was...AWESOME!" Sailor Moon cheered. "I actually did it!"

"Yes, you did..." Superman agreed. "See? All it took was a little effort and believing in—"

"Well done, Sailor Moon."

Sailor Moon's attention turned upward towards the mysterious Tuxedo Mask, who was just about to disappear out of the balcony window, and into the night.

"My work here is done. I will not soon forget this night."

"But you didn't do anything..." Superman mumbled.

Without another word, the mysterious Tuxedo mask leaps from the balcony with his cape masking his exit and goes into the starry moonlight, with rose petals in his wake to remember him by.

"Well, he's...theatrical." Superman said. For a moment the image of his companion in Gotham popped into his head.

"Yes, well, he _is_ right." Luna said, "You did good, Sailor Moon...Sailor Moon?"

Sailor Moon was far too distracted with hearts in her eyes to even begin to hear what they were saying. She couldn't help but go red in the face at the mere memory of the handsome Tuxedo Mask, who inspired her to stand up and fight off those possessed women, and defeat the evil witch...despite the fact that Superman did all that. Even still, she was immediately smitten by him, with daydreams of romance and white horses fluttering her thoughts.

"He's soooo cute~" Sailor Moon swooned.

A collective sigh arose from both Superman and Luna.

Suddenly, just beyond the distance, Superman could hear the sounds of sirens approaching not too far from the store.

"I think our work here is done as well." Superman suggested. "The police are on their way."

"AH! Oh no! I won't be able to get out of here in time! Oh, Mom's gonna kill me if I get arrested!" Sailor Moon exclaimed.

Superman didn't want this young girl getting into trouble, however the police would want to know whose responsible for saving these women. He doubted the police would believe that an evil witch knocked out all these women and used them as possessed dolls. Ironic they would believe a flying alien man exist but not witches. wouldn't be the first time.

Superman offered his hand to Sailor Moon, who looked at it first, then up at the smiling boy in blue.

"Come on." Superman said, "A good job deserves a reward."

"Huh? A Reward?"

* * *

"Here ya are! One triple-flavored, whip cream surprise with a waffle cone and choco stix~"

The ice cream sundae was even better then she had originally imagined it. She was practically drooling at the sight of the delicacy. She never _did_ have it in her to buy one, because she feared it would get in the way of her diet. However, she felt this was an exception. Besides, she _was_ invited by the great Superman, so who was she to deny. She was just happy that she got to go to her favorite ice cream parlor tonight. She also fortunate that it was nearly empty too with only about 1 or 2 other customers in, and only one server. She was also lucky they allowed small pets into the ice cream parlor. Luna was all tuckered out from today and decided to sleep on Sailor Moon's lap.

" _Itadakimaaasu~_ " She said gleefully. She took her first bite into the ice cream, and immediately lit up light a Christmas tree. "Mmmm! It's so good~ I could practically die eating this~"

"Heh, yes, well let's try to not let that happen." Clark said, eating his own sundae with a spoon.

"Oh, what's that you got on yours?" Sailor Moon asked.

"This? Just a lil something I usually got back in Kansas." Superman said, "It's called The Rocky Mountain; three scoops of caremel under whip cream, nuts, and two bananas with cherrys on top."

"Sounds yummy...wait...you said your from Kansas?" Sailor Moon asked. "Where's that?"

"It's in the States." Superman answered. "I had my fondest memories there. It's where I was born."

"Wow. So you were born here on Earth?"

"Not...exactly." Superman explained. "I was found in Kansas. I'm actually not even from this planet."

"Oh, right! I heard about that from my friends at sc—I-I mean, from citizens across the city!" She quickly corrected. "They say that you're actually a scary alien who came from another planet in order to destroy us all..."

"Did they...?"

"Yeah. They said those red eyes of yours are just itching to burn people, and that you pretend to be hopeful; even though you have the power to destroy any and everything in your path. They said you're just a monster..."

Of course that was to be expected. Not much has changed since then it seemed.

He remembered those first two years. He remembered them all too well. He recalled the struggles of trying to be accepted by humanity and help them to understand that he was no threat. Despite all his efforts of helping people, and doing the right thing, they still judged him as either a god pretending to be human, or a dangerous alien who would one day kill them all. Sure there were a small portion who didn't think the way others did back then, but...it was always the loudest voices that reached the farthest.

All he wanted to do was protect the world. Instead he was further rejected by it, simply for being different. He had lost hope back then; not only in humanity, but in himself, and was simply saving people because of some semblance of still wanting to do the right thing. Deep down, he felt it was more of on obligation that he put on himself—to hold the world on his shoulders, the bear the curse of humanity, and to see the fall of man no matter how hard he tried. After a while, it almost felt meaningless, like the anxiety of it all was too much for just him to bare. There were times where he felt like giving up...to put an end to Superman...

But...

"...but...I don't think that's true."

Superman looked back at Sailor Moon, as she stared into her sundae.

"I don't think you're a monster..." She said. "I think you're just as good as anyone. I think when something bad happens, you're the first to want to make it right. When someone needs help, you want to do your best to help them. When everything seems scary and dark...you give it light."

She turned her blue eyes towards the Man of Steel and with a bright smile on her face, she completely threw Superman into an emotional loop.

"That's what makes you so cool, Superman. When things look bad, you still have hope that everything will turn out okay. Yeah, bad stuff _will_ happen, and yeah, it won't all be good...but at least you still have hope that it _will_ be better...and maybe...I can be like that too...with these new powers I have, maybe, just maybe...I can be Hopeful too."

And just like that, there it was. There was the small glimmer of light that shinned through the dark. He had almost forgotten about it those first few years of being Superman; lost in his own grief and the rejection man threw at him...until he met Lois. Then he remembered his mother, his father, Jimmy, Mr. White, and so many others. He remembered Krypton, his real parents, his loved ones, all of them. They were that small glimmer of light that lit the way through so much of the grimdark. Of course that darkness didn't go away, but...it got easier to see the light.

Now here he was, many years later, able to save the defenseless, beat all odds, prevent catastrophes to the best of his abilities, and finally do what he had always promised both his human parents, and Kryptonian parents that he would strive towards.

He had finally become hope. And now with Sailor Moon...it felt that much brighter.

"You will."

Sailor Moon looked into Superman's eyes and saw such sincerity in them, that told her he meant it.

"You'll give the people of this city an ideal to strive towards...they'll race behind you...stumble...fall...but in time, they'll join you in the Moon...in time..." He offered a fist to her with a bright smile on his face, "...you'll help them all accomplish wonders. Can you do that for me, Sailor Moon?"

Sailor Moon didn't know what to say. Thank him? Tell him he's the real hero? or keep eating? Either way, she couldn't keep the big, goofy smile off of her face. She felt lighter then she ever had before. It was like all her woes were washed away. She didn't even care about the 30% on her test, or whatever new monsters would come. She felt ready to take on the world, just like Superman.

She clenched her fist and pressed it onto Superman's.

"You bet." She said happily. "We _both_ can."


	2. A Hand of Hello

**_Hello you all, Alito here._**

 ** _So here's the second chapter this slowly growing story. A little bit of an author's note, I actually had it in my mind to do a story like this with Sailor Moon many times before. At first, I had the idea of doing a Devil May Cry X Sailor Moon crossover due to a fanfic I read involving Dante and Sailor Jupiter (I think you can find it if you look in the Devil May Cry X Sailor Moon tag) but then I thought about doing one with Bleach, but that sort of fell apart after only a few days of writing a rough draft._**

 ** _And then, I thought about doing one with Batman being in Juban, Japan and helping Sailor Moon, but I never got around to doing it, and instead opted to do a Batman crossover with Totally Spies (which I REALLY need to finish at some point)_**

 ** _it wasn't until I saw this cute fan art by Tumblr user, tiggersmoke, that I decided to do a Superman X Sailor Moon crossover, since I began to notice that they both had very striking similarities to one another. And so, here I am._**

 ** _Okay, author's note over. Time to get into the story._**

 ** _REMINDER: For anyone curious as to what picture I'm talking about that inspired this story, check out the artist's Tumblr, tiggersmoke._**

 ** _DISCLIAMER: I OWN NOTHING. Superman and Sailor Moon belong to their respected creators and NOT ME. Please support these characters and their official releases._**

* * *

Chapter 2: A Hand of Hello

* * *

Dwelling within the dark crevices of the Dark Kingdom, Queen Beryl continued to gaze upon her crystal ball in search for what she desires most for her great ruler. Despite her best efforts, there was still no trace of the Silver Crystal in sight. She had begun to grow impatient with all the searching she was doing with no results in sight. Even her posy of minions had been forced to return with nothing but groveling of exhaustion and empty hands.

"Something seems to be troubling you."

The Queen looked to the side of her to find Brainiac approach her.

"Yes...the search for the Silver Crystal has been most difficult." She said, "Though these human souls have provided sustainable sustenance for the Great Ruler, it will never be enough to awaken her anytime soon."

"Perhaps your henchmen are the reason for your constant failures." Brainiac suggested as he placed his hands behind him and walked ahead of her.

"Go on..." She said.

"Despite their reprehensible efforts to procure this Silver Crystal you adamantly search for, the one named Jadeite is what holds you back. He has failed you within a weeks time, and has no longer proven his usefulness with the Kryptonian and this Sailor Moon preventing your success." He stopped to look over his shoulder towards her. "Perhaps a _final_ test is in order."

Queen Beryl thought for a moment on his suggestion, and came to the proper conclusion. If she was to produce more adequate results in awakening the Great Ruler, she would need to trim the fat of those who held her back.

"Jadeite!" She called.

From a small budding flame came the appearance of the henchmen of mention. He bowed, and said; "Yes, your highness."

"You have failed me far too many times, Jadeite." Queen Beryl said threateningly. "The energy you have gathered is far too little to reawaken the Great Ruler, and your efforts have been thwarted many times before. You have lost a total of seven youma so far, and have wasted those resources."

"F-Forgive me, your highness..." Jadeite pleased. "This time, I have a plan that will surely procure enough energy to—"

"Insanity."

Both Queen Beryl and Jadeite's eyes turned towards the bionic humanoid.

"Are you aware of the definition?" Brainiac asked. "It is the process of repeating an action multiple times, and expecting a different result. Rather then focus on obtaining such flimsy sources of power that will no doubt be thwarted, you will be tasked with dealing with both the Kryptonian and the Sailor child at once."

"Wait...you mean fight them both head on?" Jadeite asked.

"Precisely. No disposable henchmen, no tricks to gather energy. You will engage in combat, and prove your worth to your loyalties." Brainiac said, "Should you succeed in defeating or killing the Kryptonian and the Sailor scout, you shall be exempted from punishment by elimination. Fail, and not only will you be destroyed, but your body shall be added to my collection for information on you and those like you."

"You...you'll use my corpse as a guinea pig?" Jadeite said fearfully.

"Hmph, as if you _weren't_ one as is..." Brainiac said haughty.

"Then it is settled." Queen Beryl stated. "Jadeite, you will engage the two in a battle and win, or you will be dealt with accordingly. Understood?"

Jadeite's heart beat rapidly in his chest. He believed to have so much more time to complete the mission and gather souls, but it seemed that was cut short. He realized now that it was either do or die. He could not afford to fail again.

He took a respective bow. "Y-Yes...your highness..."

* * *

Another late night of work that felt like the day was dragging on forever. Another commute down the street with his new bicycle made the night a little more smoother then it usually was. He thought about getting a car once, but figured biking to and from work was more exercise, and eco-friendly.

As he rode his bike back to his apartment, he began to reflect everything that's gone on since he first arrived in Juban.

In Clark's honest opinion, he was beginning to realize that the little district of Juban felt more like a smaller Metropolis with all the strangeness going on. In the span of only a week, Clark, along with the new hero known as Sailor Moon, have dealt with a bunch of Youma roaming around town to steal people's energy. He certainly couldn't ignore that, and just wanted to do his part to help make the Juban district of Tokyo a little bit safer again. Plus, that Queen Beryl was still a factor to all of this.

And then there was Sailor Moon. He knew that she was a junior high school student, but that was about it. He never got her real name, nor was he told anything more by Luna. Since he was so busy at the Juban Daily Planet, he never had time to speak to the girl _behind_ the Sailor suit. First thing was first, however; he needed to know more about this old threat.

And what better way to know more then to call the oldest person Clark knew.

"So...anything?" Clark asked while on a cell phone.

(Diana) _"I'm sorry, Clark, but I have nothing in regards to this Dark Kingdom. The Amazons have never spoke of such a domain before."_

"There's gotta be something." Clark said, "They've apparently been around for ions. Going that long without being discovered is almost unbelievable."

(Diana) "The _best I can provide is for you to continue discovering more about them on your end. Me and Bruce will see what we can find."_

"Thanks, Diana. Also, sorry to have you watch Metropolis for a while." Clark apologized. "I know Kara's also there in my place, but, y'know..."

(Diana) _"It's alright. Besides, Kara's doing a phenomenal job. I would even be hard-pressed to say she shows more valor then even you."_

"Harsh. Anyway, keep me posted."

(Diana) _"I will...Also, be vigilant on this 'Sailor Moon' girl. If we're lucky, she could be a great alley and friend in need."_

"What, like, her being a League member?" Clark asked.

(Diana) _"It's a possibility."_

"We'll see. Call ya later."

Clark hung up the cell, and was left with even more curiosity. Not even the Amazons; some of the oldest warrior race of women the world has ever known, had any knowledge of the Dark Kingdom. This evil organization definitely operated on a level beyond the norm of even Diana. He only hoped to stop them in time, before they get up to no good again.

As he was peddling on, he happen to come across the closed game arcade. He remembered going in there once, and saw a Sailor V game being made. It reminded him of how he has yet to meet Sailor V in person. She was a rather elusive girl, considering Clark has yet to ever come across her. He also wondered whether or not Sailor Moon had any _true_ relation to her. They both dress in those strange outfits, and both have blonde hair. They both even have feline friends following them. There had to be some kind of connection.

Just as he was about to pull up towards it, he just so happened to notice that the closed gate was lifted up. It was strange, because the arcade was always closed at this time. Something didn't sit well with it to Clark. He stopped his bike and put it in park in an alleyway, before going towards it on foot so as to not raise suspicion.

As he got closer, he tilted his glasses down to use his X-Ray vision, and see just what was happening beyond the walls. The arcade was completely empty with no sign of people, nor a break in. He figured someone with access to the arcade must've opened it—that, or this town is as lax as Smallville.

Clark crept to the window and looked inside. It was all dark, except a small light coming from one of the games. And low, and behold, the one who was watching it wasn't an intruder or a burglar, but was actually a lone black cat.

"Luna...?" Clark muttered. "What's she doing in there?"

Luna touched the screen of the game and began to speak to it;

"Pass phrase: The Rabbit on the Moon is Pounding Rice Cakes."

 _"The Moon's Rice Cakes Are Sticky..."_

"...And they puff up when you toast them as well."

Clark raised a brow in confusion. What kind of password was that for a seemingly secretive talk. Still, he kept himself quiet and listened in through the glass with his advanced hearing.

 _"Pass phrase accepted. Have you found the location of the Princess?"_

"Negative." Luna answered. "Not even a lead has been discovered yet."

 _"I see..."_

"Sailor Moon is slowly growing stronger, but she is far too unreliable to count on."

 _"And the other one? The Kryptonian?"_

"He is a substantial part of Sailor Moon's growth. However, it is far too soon for him to know more about the mission."

 _"Yes. Once we've gathered more clues that lead us towards finding the Princess, then the Kryptonian will truly prove his usefulness to us. Still, I'm more impressed with all that you told me about him; a young infant, forced to leave his planet upon its destruction, and thrown into a small town in Kansas. He grew up as a loner, until he became Superman. A fascinating person, indeed. "_

Clark was beginning to let the reporter side of him take over, as he pulled out a pen and paper to jot down everything that was being discussed. Especially things that involved the mention of his home in Smallvile.

"By the way..." Luna continued. "...I've begun to notice a mysterious new energy lately."

 _"Oh?"_

Luna pressed her paws on the screen and came up with a picture. Clark eyed the screen, and saw it was of a girl no older then Sailor Moon. She had short, almost dark blue hair, and dull blue eyes.

"Her. It's coming from her." Luna confirmed.

 _"Hmm...She might be another monster sent by The Dark Kingdom. Speed up your investigation. It's time we give Superman a little more detail."_

"Understood." Luna nodded.

She pressed her paw onto the screen, and turned off the game entirely. Clark took that chance to slowly fly onto the roof of the arcade so as to not be seen by her. He also hoped no one saw him fly, but considering how empty the particular street was, he counted himself fortunate.

Luna exited the arcade and closed the gate down with her teeth. Once she was done, she scurried down the street and out of sight within seconds.

Clark slowly descended back to the ground, while taking in all that he heard. Clark knew there was more to all of this then at first anticipated, and it seemed that whatever it was, it involved finding this _princess_ that Luna and the voice were discussing. From what he could gather from his notes was this:

The blonde girl is a guardian for fighting monsters.

The blonde girl doesn't know about her real reason for being Sailor Moon.

The Dark Kingdom is a well-known enemy to Luna and that voice.

Luna knows a little bit more about Clark then he'd ever feel comfortable sharing.

Whatever Luna had to tell, Clark had a feeling that this little district of Juban was about to face a major Metropolis-level threat; and with Brainiac looming around, most likely he was working with this Dark Kingdom. That witch from before mentioned something about a _Great Ruler._ Clark had to keep on his toes (metaphorically) if he was going to put a stop to all this madness.

But what about that girl? Luna and that voice expressed interest in her energy. She could be put into harms way of the monsters from the Dark Kingdom. Clark had to go see this girl for himself.

* * *

Another morning had to risen, and the students of Juban Junior High were all gathered outside to see the results of their National Practice Exam rankings on a giant board. Some were filled with joy for advancing. Others disappointed with grief from their fallings. Despite everyone's efforts, only one student was able to reach the very top of the grade percentage.

All the students saw the only name at the very top of the list; NO.1—Ami Mizuno.

But the real attention was towards the inside of Juban High, where a group of girls had their small discussion on the results of their test. One of those students, who was leaning against the wall, was the blonde, pig-tailed girl herself; tired and just listening in on the conversation.

"Welp, as expected, Ami Mizuno ranked first in the entire school again." Said Naru, the girl whose mom was replaced with the witch of jewelry.

"Well, not quite..." Said a short, and rather pump girl with brown, short hair. "...actually, she's number one in the whole country."

"WHAT?-! THE COUNTRY?-!" Both the blonde and Naru exclaimed.

"...AND here's another rumor!" Said the appearance of a male student with big-rimmed glasses and shaggy brown hair. "When they measured her IQ, she was discovered to be greater then Einstein himself!"

"Whoa! She's a real super genius, then..." the blonde said in amazement.

"Ugh! Umino, would you stop sneaking up on us!" Naru exclaimed.

She was just about to clock the nerd in the head, when all of a sudden, her wrist was grabbed just in time before she delivered the blow.

"Whoa, there. I don't think _anyone_ would like to be hit in the head."

All four of the students looked behind Naru to see that the one holding her wrist was an unexpected visitor. He was obviously a foreigner with black short hair and a pair of glasses. Umino may not have seen it, but the girls could all agree that this man was a fashion disaster; wearing a tweed suit jacket over a flannel shirt, a tie, a pair of jeans, and black shoes. They almost felt embarrassed for the poor guy.

Just then, the blonde girl looked closely at this man; she couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something about him seemed a tad...familiar. Like she'd seen him somewhere before. It was on the tip of her tongue, but it just didn't connect yet...then, it hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Wait! I know you!" She remembered.

"Y-You do...?" Clark said almost nervously, letting go of Naru's wrist.

"Yeah! Yeah, I remember now...!" The pig-tailed girl said with a pointed finger at him. "You're that guy I met a week ago! The foreigner from Metropolis! The one who was with me and Lu—I-I mean, the black cat."

Clark sighed of relief in his mind. "Good memory. It's nice to _officially_ meet you. My name's Clark Kent. I'm a reporter for the Juban Daily Planet."

"Nice to meet you too, Kent-san." the blond said with a smile. "My name's Usagi Tsukino." At least Clark now knew her real name.

"Usagi, you know this guy?" Naru asked.

"Mmm-Hmm! He's the reporter guy from Metropolis." Usagi said, "Y'know, where Superman's from."

S-Superman?-!" Umino exclaimed with sheer fanboying excitement. "As in THE Superman?-! The Man of Steel?-! I don't believe it!"

"Yeah, I can't believe we have someone here who actually sees Superman on a daily basis!" Naru said with equal amazement.

"Well that's why I work at the Daily _Planet_." Clark mentioned. "I'm actually here in Juban because of a new Daily Planet that just opened here. Since they needed someone from the U.S. to check it out, I jumped right onto the opportunity to do so."

"So...why're you here in our school?" Asked the other girl. "Is something going on here?"

"Something like that." Clark explained. "You see, I'm here to interview the famed student who was able to top the charts as NO.1 nationwide on her National Practice Exams."

"Oh, you mean Ami Mizuno. She's...ah, there she is now."

Usagi pointed towards the girl who just walked out of the bathroom and was starring out of the hallway window. There was no doubt in appearance—she was the girl Clark saw in that image Luna was talking about last night; same dark blue short hair and matching eyes. She seemed to have a pensive stare to her, which he hoped didn't work against him in trying to talk to her. Clark also noticed that other students were starring at her. It was as if she was a famous actress that everyone couldn't keep their eyes off of.

"Y'know, I hear she takes classes at the Crystal Seminal." Umino commented.

"What's that?" Asked Clark.

"It's this new Cram school that was built recently." Usagi said begrudgingly. "My mom says it cost a whole lot of money to go there."

"Well, it's no wonder _she_ can go." Naru said, "Her mom's a doctor and can afford it."

"Technically, she's on scholarship, so she gets to go for free!" Umino corrected.

"Huh. She seems like a bright student." Clark said, looking towards her.

"Yeaaah, but just between us, not a lot of people like her." Said the other girl. "She thinks she's so smart and some can't stand the whole pompous attitude she has."

"Yeah, she _does_ keep to herself a lot." Naru agreed.

As the three gossiped among themselves, Clark looked back at her. She may seem normal, but there must've been something to her to startle even Luna. He'll need to dig a little deeper into this in order to find something that could connect to the Dark Kingdom.

* * *

Lunchtime arrived for Juban Junior high as the class all gathered in their cliques to enjoy their food from home. However, one student had opted to eat alone on the rooftop of the school building, where she could feel the light breeze.

Ami sat under the roof's entrance where she was shaded from the sun, and began to open up her box lunch. Inside was an assortment of dishes from rice, to hamburger steak. Ami could practically taste it the moment she laid her eyes on it.

The blue-haired girl pulled apart her chop sticks, and said " _itadakimasu_ " before digging in. She practically squealed for joy as she took her first bite and couldn't stop from there.

"Enjoying the food, are we?"

Being surprised by the sudden voice, Ami almost choked on her food, before taking big gulps of her thermal. A deep breath escaped her lips, before looking up to find that man who was talking to the students before.

"M-May I help you?" Ami asked.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm just here to ask some questions." Clark said as he pulled out his reporters ID badge. "I'm the reporter who asked your mother for an interview for the Daily Planet of Juban. My name's Clark Kent."

"Oh, right..." She recalled. "Well...you can go ahead if you want."

"Thank you." Clark said.

He sat down next to her, and she created a bit of distance between them. Clark already gathered that she was a bit of a loner, but he figured _he'd_ create distance too if some stranger suddenly came to sit with him. So he decided to scooch away from her a bit to make her more comfortable.

"Now then, If I may, I'd like to ask about how it feels to be the top student not only in the district, but also in the entire country? That must be quite the achievement."

"Mmm-hmm. It is." She nodded.

There was a small silence that created an awkward bubble between them.

"Um...so I'm sure your mother is happy." Clark spoke up.

"She is." She replied.

Again, another moment of awkward silence.

"Um...listen, I don't mean to pry too deeply, but I'd like a little more to work with for my article..." Clark asked.

"O-Oh, of course, I'm sorry." Ami said. "My mother said she was very proud of how well I was doing, and wanted the best for me. Which is why I go to a cram school in order to continue reaching high in the academic field."

"I see..." Clark said, while writing notes. "...And this cram school, Crystal Seminal, is it a school you've been going to for long?"

"No. Probably for about a week or so." She answered while eating. She was careful to cover her mouth while she spoke. "It's very expensive, but my mother is a doctor, so she can afford it."

"And your father?"

She swallowed her food, before putting on a very somber expression.

"My parents...are divorced."

Clark stopped writing once he heard that. He looked back at Ami, and saw the pessimism written all across her face. Clark imagined he stepped on a land mine from prying too much into her personal life.

"Oh...forgive me, I-I didn't mean to—"

"Do you mind if _I_ ask _you_ a question?"

Clark was a bit taken aback, but nonetheless nodded. "Sure thing..."

"You said you were from the Daily Planet, correct?" She asked. "I would assume you're from the original North American one in Metropolis."

"Why, yes I am." Clark nodded.

"So...you've met Superman, then."

"W-Well...not so much _met_..." Clark lied, "I'm able to get the occasional interview from him."

"I see...then...you're _not_ scared of him?"

Clark had a feeling he knew where this was headed and felt troubled for taking her up on her question. Ami saw this, and further explained herself while playing with her food.

"Y' see, I...I'm still kind of frightened by him." Ami confessed. "To have someone like that with so much power...it's a little scary to think what he could do if he decided to go bad..."

"I...don't think he would ever—"

"—But what if one day he _does_?" Ami said with panic in her voice as she turned to face the reporter with a desperate look in her blue eyes. "What if one day, something in his mind snaps, and he decides to burn Metropolis to the ground? Or if he decides to try and rule over humanity? He could do it, y'know...!"

She backed off for a moment and stared into her food again.

"I mean...for him to even _exist_ in our reality is...it's inconceivable. Yes, there have been many theories of aliens existing beyond our own galaxy, but it's always just been pure science fiction...but now, here he is...and it's just so...scary."

Clark could see the concern welling up inside her, and couldn't help but feel a tad guilty for that. He sometimes forgot that not _everyone_ has been able to accept him as a resident of the planet so easily; not out of ill intent, but mostly through fear. There were always those few who were against anything that defiled their own perception of reality. He'd seen it in many of his enemies; including one such enemy whose made an attempt to try and destroy him, but failed and ended up with a bald head. Clark had to remember how difficult it must be for some to accept something so radically different. Still, he couldn't let their feelings get in the way of him saving people...no matter how young and scared they still were of him.

"O-Oh, forgive me!" Ami said bashfully. "I didn't mean to ramble on like that...I guess when you said the Daily Planet, it sort of brought things up..."

"No, no, it's fine..." Clark assured her. "I think that's enough questions from me..."

"Oh, are you sure?" Ami asked.

"Yes. I've got enough for a story." Clark stood up and placed his notes in his bag. "And rest assured, I won't share any personal details about your family."

"Oh, thank you, Reporter-san." Ami smiled.

Clark walked away towards the entrance of the door to open it, but before he left, he took one last look at Ami.

"By the way, I hear you're not much for being social..." Clark said, getting Ami's attention. "I know what that's like; being so different from everyone else and feeling like you don't fit in...but I've learned that sometimes, the best way to make good friends, is by starting with a hello, and a handshake."

"Really...?"

"Hasn't failed me yet." Clark said with a bright smile. "Give it a try sometime."

With those last words, Clark departed; leaving Ami with those words to go by. She thought for a moment about what he said, and calculated the success of even attempting such a simple greeting. It was obvious to her that he was from the countryside where people had enough of that southern hospitality to do that, but it was a whole different ball game in the big city. There was no way she could do something that could risk embarrassing herself. Everyone already thought she was a loner and obnoxious. Maybe they didn't want to talk to her at all, is what she thought. Why try to get to know them if they already dislike her? No, it was foolish to even think of such a thing. She was better of sitting there...alone...eating by herself...

"It's better this way...right?" Ami said to herself.

Just as she was about to take another bite of her now cold food, Ami happened to glance out of the corner of her eye. She saw something...strange in the cloudy sky above. She looked towards the small dot that seemed to have been moving. She squinted until she was sure of what it could be. Then she began to see something else—it looked like something was surrounding it; something big and orange. It flailed around the black dot almost like it were...flames. As it began to look a little bit more defined, Ami realized that what was dancing around this dot was indeed fire.

Ami's heart sank at her first initial thought came to mind towards what it could be.

"A...An asteroid?-! Meteor?-!" Ami exclaimed.

She dropped her food in a giant panic, and ran for the entrance to the roof. Forget being scared to speak, she was more worried about hers and everyone else's survival!

Ami hurried down the flight of stairs, and ran down the empty halls. It appeared the bell was about to ring, and everyone prepared to return to class. The only person she happened to come across, was the lone Daily Planet reporter strolling down the hall. She didn't know what the point of going to him was, but she figured she had to tell _someone_ about what she saw so he could warn people as well.

"Reporter-san! Reporter-san!" She yelled.

Clark quickly turned around, just in time to see her running towards him. However, both were caught off guard by the sudden eruption of glass that shattered right before their eyes. The shards threatened to practically rip them both to shreds with how intense they came flying towards them.

While Ami closed her eyes and blocked her face, Clark immediately went into action. He had suddenly moved at such a speed, that everything around him seemed to have gone at a relatively slower pace in comparison. His feet leaped off the ground and he flew across both sides of the hall to grab every single shard of glass that was left floating in the air. He had gathered each shard into his arms and threw them into a nearby supply closet, before returning to where he was, just in time for Ami to run right into his arms.

By the time Ami realized it, she felt Clark's hands on her shoulders to console her back to reality.

"Ms. Ami? Ms. Ami, are you alright?" Clark asked.

"Huh? O-Oh, yes, I'm alright..." She said, "...but what _was_ that just now?-!"

"I believe _that_ answers our question."

Ami followed Clark's eyes and was left with a horrified gasp. She saw, floating in the air with a raging fire surrounding him, a man who was dressed in a black suit with bits of red in it, and ruffled blond short hair. Though she admitted to him being handsome, she couldn't shake the fact that he was not only on fire, but had such evil, piercing red eyes. She began to tremble in fear, and hid behind Clark. He didn't seem to notice them and was instead looking at the entire school as a whole.

"W-What is that...?" Ami said shakily. "I-Is it another alien? Like Superman?"

"I don't think so..." Clark said.

* * *

Outside, Jadeite had prepared all the physical power he could muster, not only from himself, but also through the youma he had planned to work with in order steal the human energy. Thinking about it now, he realized that it wouldn't have mattered how many youma he used; the result would still be the same—This ' _Sailor Moon_ ' and Superman would defeat them like they always did. So what better way to change the tide, then to kill them all, and use those Youma's souls as a power source for himself.

Now he felt so much power coursing through his veins. There was no limit to what he could accomplish with the combined strength of over 20 other youma within him. Killing Sailor Moon would be an easier task then taking on Superman. That required a hefty amount of his power to accomplish. For now, he figured he could at least have a chance to kill off one half of his competition. He had to make sure this plan was a complete success. Too much was on the line for him to screw up.

He raised his hand into the air, and with only a snap of his gloved fingers, the entire boundaries of the school building, had suddenly been encased in a wall of harsh flames, that surrounded it like a hellish fortress. He could already hear the sounds of the school students screaming in fear from within. A devilish grin formed on his face.

"Now _this_ should get their attention." Jadeite said with a toothy grin.

* * *

Inside, the entire student body could feel the boiling point slowly rise within the confines of the classes. Students were in a frenzy of panic and terror as the harsh flames began catching fire within the building itself. Some were able to scurry away in time, while others were still struggling to escape from the intense heat; not that it mattered since there was absolutely no way out. Many of the students and teachers tried to take refuge in the supply closets or any room without windows, but that only made the humidity in the tight, windowless space that much more unbearable. There were already a total of ten to twelve students and teachers who had passed out all together. It was something out of a hellish movie.

Meanwhile in the hallway, Clark and Ami ran through them, and were horrified to see some of the students forced to watch the flames attempt to find a way into the building, and retreat further down the hall for their lives. It was as if the flames had a mind of their own, as it practically chased after them in a dancing frenzy of heat.

"They'll be burned alive!" Ami said. "We gotta do something!"

Ami made the first move once her eyes spotted one of the emergency fire extinguishers to the right of her.

"I need your jacket!" Ami demanded with a hand out towards Clark.

"Uh, yeah, here!"

Clark wasted no time in giving her the jacket. She then wrapped it around her hand until it was a thick lump of tweed. Without warning, she plunged it right into the glass, and watched it shatter all across the floor. She removed the jacket from her hand, and pulled out the fire extinguisher from inside.

"I'm gonna help those students!" Ami proclaimed.

"Ami, wait!" Clark called as he grabbed her arm. "It's too dangerous! You could get hurt, or worse!"

"What else _can_ I do? Let them die?-!" She exclaimed. "I can't just sit by and watch that happen!"

"But—"

Clark was just about to say another word, but came to an abrupt halt. There was nothing else he could even begin to utter, once his eyes met her tear-felt orbs that somehow burned with the passion that he recognized not only in himself, but within Usagi as well. It was at that point that he realized there was nothing he could do or say to make Ami not try and save those students. She had already made up her mind to the fullest extent. All he could do now was let her go and let her follow what was in her heart.

"I'm going!" She demanded with everything she had.

Clark instinctively let go of her arm, and she immediately took off towards the flames as they turned the corner, with Ami following close behind. Clark had to give it to her; that Ami has more fire in her then the flames that surrounded the school. He definitely wanted to follow her example. As went into the closet to change, he could only hope that Usagi was thinking about doing the same.

* * *

"AAAAAAAAH! FIREEEE!-!"

The howling screams from the blonde school girl could echo throughout the entire hall of the second floor. As she ran for her life from the treacherous flames incinerating her to a crisp, she wondered why they had been coming after her so vigilantly? Was it because of her status as a Sailor whatever? And the better question was where all this fire came from in the first place? There was no way it was an accident. It all felt too sentient for it to just be a normal accidental fire. This was obviously the work of another monster, she just knew it.

"Usagi!"

Usagi turned to see her trusted feline friend running along with her.

"Luna! What's going on? Why is there fire all of a sudden?-!"

"I'm going to take a wild guess, and say another Youma!" Luna said, "You need to transform into _Sailor Moon_ and get rid of it!"

"D-Don't you think it would be better to wait for Superman to—"

"Tsukino-san!"

Just then Usagi looked over her shoulder to find someone running after the flames that were chasing her with a fire extinguisher in hand.

"A-Ami?" Usagi mentioned.

"Hang on, Tsukino-san!" Ami called out.

Ami attempted to use the extinguisher, however, the second her finger was on the trigger, the dancing flames stopped dead in their tracks, and seemed to have turned their attention on her. The flames acted quicker then she could by turning the canister to a boiling temperature that burnt her hand. She yelped and dropped it while clutching her scorched hand close to her.

The dancing flames took that opportunity to strike. They turned their attack onto Ami, while she cowered fearfully for her life.

"Usagi, transform already!" Luna finally yelled.

"Okay, Okay!" Usagi said. She rose her hand in the air and shouted;

"Moon Prisom Power! Make up!"

In, what took only a mere second to do, she began to transform.

First, her finger nails glowed a ruby red like diamonds in the light, before her entire body was overtaken in a shade of pure light that made her own uniform vanish. The golden brooch on her chest flashed for a moment, before dispersing ribbons across her body. The ribbons turned into a white leotard with the sailor's blue collar, a 'moon' themed neckband, ear rings, and a red ribbon on her chest. Those same ribbons formed on her arms and legs to make white long gloves, and hot red boots. Flowing around her waist was a pleated, blue miniskirt with a big, red ribbon behind it. And finally, to appear on her forehead was a red gem that formed into her golden tiara, and red gems in the buns of her pigtails.

With that, she had become the heroine known as ' _Sailor Moon_ '.

Without wasting any time, she removed her tiara and held it in her hand as it glowed a shimmering light.

"Moon Tiara! Action!" She called.

Sailor Moon threw the tiara and watched as its intense glow had completely irradiated the burst of flames into ashes in a matter of seconds. Once the job was done, the tiara returned to her forehead.

"Yes!" Sailor Moon said cheerfully. "You might as well call me Sailor fire...ender...girl!"

"Oh, _wow_ , Usagi, that was your best one yet..." Luna whispered while on her shoulder.

"Oh, shut up!" She huffed. "At least I stopped those fire things..."

"T-Tsukino-san...?"

Usagi took a second to recall where she was, and who was in her presence. Judging by the puzzling expression on Ami's face, she could imagine that there was no way of trying to make her believe that this was all a dream. What made it worse was that she revealed herself so carelessly to a stranger that she barely knew. Usagi panicked over what would happen if Ami revealed her secret to the whole class, or even to her parents. She couldn't bear to get another angry lecture from her mom. Getting yelled at for bad grades was bad enough.

"U-Um...I-I..." Sailor Moon thought quick and went with the first thing to pop into her head. "I sorry, me no speak your language! Heh heh, I'm foreigner with blonde hair, see? Ha ha ha ha ha—"

Yeah...except I can see your face clearly. I know it's you, Tsukino-san."

Busted. Her fake laughter ceased, and she was left with no other choice but to reveal herself. She sighed deeply; it was going to be a lengthy conversation.

"Okay, you got me...but you have to promise not to tell _anyone_ about this! Not a soul! Do you hear me?" Sailor Moon said sternly, but at the same time, very pleadingly.

"I...I don't even know what _this_ is..." Ami questioned. "You're clothes are so...well..."

It wasn't until she really got a good look at what she was wearing as Sailor Moon, that Usagi realized once more just how ridiculous it was from someone else's eyes. She suddenly went red in the face, and instinctively covered herself.

"I-I'm not doing this, 'cause I like being dressed up!" Usagi exclaimed. "This is just how the uniform came to me! Besides, that's not important right now! What _is_ important is that I saved you from the fire!"

"Correction; you only stopped a small fraction of this giant fire, but the rest of it is still creating a giant wall outside." Luna pointed out. "Getting even close to it is enough to scorch someone alive."

Ami was dumbfounded once the cat began to speak. "D...Did that cat just..."

"Isn't there anything I can do to stop it?" Sailor Moon urged. "Don't I have some sort of rain cloud tiara or something? Wait, I know! Maybe Superman can do something!"

"Already tried."

Sailor Moon, Luna, and even Ami were startled by a sudden voice almost appearing out of nowhere from behind them. They turned to see the Man of Steel himself slowly descend back onto his own two feet.

"Superman!" Sailor Moon exclaimed.

"Superman...?" Ami uttered.

This was the first time Ami had ever seen _the_ Superman in person. There was so much about him that she could see; the detail in his blue suit, the type of fabric that was used for his cape, and just how beautifully that 'S' on his chest glowed depending on the light. There was so much to be in awe over his appearance alone, but what slowly followed was a wave of fear for what he could do. This fear was enough to keep Ami from speaking, and she preferred to blend into the background so as to not be noticed.

"Phew! Thank goodness, you're here..." Sailor Moon said with a sigh of relief.

"Don't get _too_ relieved just yet." Superman advised. "These flames are something I've never seen before. I've tried blowing them away, freezing them; Nothing's working. This must be the work of magic."

"What, you're not good with magic?" Usagi asked.

"It's not exactly an easy thing for me to fight against." Superman said.

"There's gotta be _some_ way to stop all this...!" Luna said.

For a moment, Superman and Sailor Moon tried to devise different plans to combat this disastrous fire. The Man of Steel opted to fly out of the school, and use a mix of sand and his ice breath to at least hold the fire off until he could get everyone out. However, the wall of flames would only re-ignite far too quickly for him to carry people out without them being taken by whiplash or the magma-like flames. Meanwhile, Sailor Moon had the bright idea of just praying it would rain today, but remembered the forecast said it would be sunny all day. Ami couldn't even begin to think straight with Superman in the same hallway as her. All three were stumped.

 _"Hear me, Sailor Moon and Superman! I call upon you both!"_

The two heroes and Ami looked out the window towards a small opening in the flames that revealed the outside. There, floating in the sky while encased in flames, was a blond young man with glowing red eyes, and dressed in a black suit.

"Who is that?-!" Ami gasped

"That must be the one responsible for all of this!" Luna confirmed.

"You are correct." He said with a wicked grin. "Allow me to introduce myself; my name is Jadeite. For the last week, I have been the one responsible for sending my minions to this small city, in search of human energy."

"So _you_ must work for Queen Beryl, right?" Superman figured.

"Wait, Queen who now?" Sailor Moon said in confusion.

 _ **"**_ Hm hm hm, yes."Jadeite replied. "You see, my original plan was to gather enough human energy until the location of a more powerful source was found. However that had to be altered, and I am afraid that my time is limited."

"Let me guess; your boss is done using you as a puppet, and now they sent you to prove yourself for the last time?" Superman deduced with his arms crossed.

Judging by the look of frustration on Jadeite's face, he was right on the money.

"You should know that it won't matter." Superman warned. "I've seen countless minions under a tyrant; all of them usually meet the same end. Even if you _did_ succeed in killing me or Sailor Moon..."

"...something I'd very much like to avoid...!" Sailor Moon added.

"...it won't change your fate. So I'm only gonna give you _one_ warning; end this now and let the people in the school building go, or you're gonna have to deal with us."

"Y-Yeah, what he said!" Sailor Moon challenged.

Jadeite responded with a low chuckle that put a chill down both Sailor Moon and Ami's spine.

"As luck would have it, that's _exactly_ why I'm here, Superman." Jadeite said as he pointed towards the Man of Steel. "I want _you_ to challenge me first. One-on-one—a battle to the death. If you somehow manage to succeed in killing me, the fire on this school will be lifted. Should the obvious outcome of this fight rule in my favor, I will bring you, Sailor Moon, and that cowering girl's corpses to Queen Beryl."

Sailor Moon began to have second thoughts about the situation as she was quaking in her boots. She even took to standing behind Superman like a brick wall in case anything happened. Ami was petrified with fear, but kept her nerves in check so as to not make any sudden moves that could cost her life. Superman, on the other hand, stood there; not budging an inch to his threats and gladly stood as a shield for Usagi.

"Okay, I'll fight you. But not to the death." Superman said, "Instead, you'll need to make two conditions for me, and _then_ we'll have at it."

Annoyed in having to be ordered by the enemy, Jadeite was strapped for time as is, and wanted to destroy the Kryptonian as soon as possible—even if Superman himself didn't want to do the same.

"So be it. Name your conditions."

"First; I want you to call off the flames that are running around inside this building." Superman demanded.

"Humph. A petty despot for the weak...fine, then. But the inferno barrier stays."Jadeite agreed. "And your _second_ condition?"

"We decide this fight by the one-hit rule. If I get at least one clean hit on you, _I_ win. If you hit me once, _you_ win."

"What would _I_ gain if I _am_ the victor?"

"If you win...I'll surrender myself to Brainiac."

Jadeite was almost shocked that he would say that. He couldn't fathom how this all-mighty god of a being would willingly surrender himself if he were to be hit once. Why would he put himself in such a situation as this, just for a bunch of lowly humans? It didn't make sense for Jadeite, and he couldn't be bothered to care at the moment. If he _did_ succeed in defeating Superman and bringing him in as a prisoner, Queen Beryl would be most pleased, and he could even become an excellent energy source to awaken the Great Ruler. This was almost too easy. Jadeite would be a fool _not_ to except.

"Deal."He said with a sinister grin on his face.

"Wait, who's Brainiac?" Sailor Moon said with even more confusion then before. "Superman, what're you—"

"But if _I_ win..." Superman spoke up. "...you end this."

Jadeite took a moment to think of the conditions before replying; "Fine then."

Superman dropped his arms and was ready to go, but felt a small tugging on his cape. He looked over his shoulder to see Sailor Moon looking up at him with so much worry in her eyes. He also eyed Ami, who simply turned away from him. He assumed her fears of him were more serious then he thought.

"Um...Superman, are you sure about this?" She asked timidly. "I mean, yeah, I'm sure you can take him on just fine, buuuut...well, what if he beats you?"

Superman turned to face her and placed a hand on her shoulder while giving her a smile of assurance. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. You just gotta have a little faith in me."

"O-Okay." Sailor Moon nodded.

"Besides, how powerful can he possibly—"

Suddenly, Jadeite reached his hand forward, and from it emerged and invisible distortion of pure red aura that latched itself onto Superman and yanked him off of his feet, and out the window. From there, Superman was pulled right through the wall of fire until he popped out of the other side, and was flung right into the court yard. His crash landing was brutal as his body bounced across the sand, before it all ended with him dragging into the dirt, and coming to a dramatic end with his face planted into the ground.

From within the school, Sailor Moon needed a moment to register what just happened, before she had a full grasp of the situation.

"S-Superman!" She called.

She attempted to run towards the window that he was flung out of, however, Jadeite had different plans as he sent a small burst of flames to practically cover the window in fire—it prevented her from even getting close to it, and forced her to cover her face from the intense heat.

Tsukino-san!" Ami called as she yanked Sailor Moon away from the flames before they could scorch her.

"I will deal with you next, Sailor Moon." Jadeite proclaimed arrogantly. "For now, just wait patiently as I destroy this so-called _'hero'_ once and for all."

Sailor Moon and Ami were forced to hear the maniacal laughter from beyond the flames slowly fade into the sounds of the inferno.

"Ooooh, you big, stupid—You're hair is only dyed blond, we all know it!" Sailor Moon yelled.

"Usagi! Now's not the time for insults." Luna said, "There still might be students here who need help—particularly Ami."

"Oh, right!" Sailor Moon remembered. "Ami, your hand. We need to take you to the infirmary to get it checked out."

"N-No, you won't have to—"

"Uh uh! Not hearing it!" Usagi ignored. "You're coming with me to get that hand bandaged. No backtalk!"

Usagi pulled Ami back up on her feet, and took her by the other hand, down the hall towards the infirmary on the floor below them.

As they ran, Ami couldn't help but feel a bit of emotional draining. She was thrown into such a chaotic situation with a giant fire surrounding the school, discovered Usagi's strange secret, came face-to-face with Superman, and is now a part of a battle that could decide the lives of the students and faculty. She couldn't keep herself from feeling a little out of it, but knew she needed to stay strong for hers and Usagi's sake. Plus, it had been so very long since someone has cared enough to help her like this. No sense in letting hospitality go to waste.

Usagi's only worry was on Superman. She could only hope that he was able to put a stop to Jadeite as quickly as possible...or at the very least give another hour or so. A giant fire is bad, but burning the results of the practice exam didn't hurt.

* * *

Meanwhile, outside on the courtyard where a smoldering crater lay, Superman emerged from the ground with nothing but a little dust on his suit that he seamlessly flicked off of his shoulder. Before his very eyes, he saw the raging inferno overtake the school as if it were a wall. It was almost horrifying to watch the fire dance so wildly, yet only be inches away from entering into the school. It was as if the wall's only purpose was to bother Clark's sense of heroism; to see a problem but not have the ability to fix it right away.

"I thank you for accepting my challenge, Man of Steel."

Superman looked up to see the fiery blond known as Jadeite slowly descending on the other side of the courtyard. The flames had slowly dissipated from around his body, yet his eyes were still a glowing red.

"So long as you keep to your word, I'll keep to mine." Superman stated. "A no killing, one-hit match."

"Of course."Jadeite nodded.

"And remember; if I win, you stop this, which includes letting the people in that school go." Superman reminded.

"...and if I win, you're mine." jadeite reminded him. "You'll be a glorious component to the reawakening of our G _re **at Ruler."**_

Jadeite got into a fighting stance as Superman prepared for whatever fire attack he'd use. However, to the Man of Steel's surprise, it wasn't a fire attack he was preparing. Instead, something instantly shot out of his arms and legs that completely submerged them in pure metallic armor. His arms and legs were now encased in chrome that had red veins going along them. His neck was also covered in metal, with similar red veins going across his cheeks and into his glowing red eyes. Steam had practically radiated off of his body as if he were a well-oiled machine.

"You...you've fused with Brainiac's nano machines!" Superman said in an outrage. "Are you insane? Do you know what that'll do to your body?-!"

 ** _"It does not matter what happens to me; so long as I accomplish my goal."_** Jadeite said with a haunting robotic voice. _**"I WILL awaken the Great Ruler."**_

Suddenly, from Jadeite's back shot a pair of metallic wings that had the same red veins as his arms and legs. One flap, and the blond took off towards the Man of Steel at speeds that surpassed a rocket car on a dessert. However, it was more then easily dodged by Superman as he simply took one step out of the way just it narrowly missed him by an inch. It was enough speed to make Clark drop his hand and keep his defenses up.

Jadeite turned on his heel, and charged after Superman again; this time, with a clawed hand that threatened to shred him in two. Superman simply arched back a bit to narrowly avoid the attack. He had seen far too many enemies like this with the same predictable speed and attacks. After awhile, he just humored them.

Jadeite saw this, and became even more furious. He almost instantly zipped from his position and was now high in the air. Both his arms were raised with his metal hand clasped together. He dropped like a rock from space as he let out a harsh battlecry, while his body began to burn up from the speed he was descending. His attack had made contact, and practically decimated the ground he landed on in a devastating crater that spanned half of the entire yard. Slowly the smoke cleared, and Jadeite was dissapointed to find that there was no trace of the Kryptonian below his feet. Instead, he looked up to find that the man in blue was floating in the air. Once again, he was cross-armed and looked down on Jadeite as if to make a fool of him.

The sight of him had begun to get to the blond minion. He was forced to alter his plans on the fly, and actually fight Superman head on, now he was being humiliated by him. Though Brainiac's upgrades made a substantial impact to his power, it did nothing to give him a well thought out strategy to win. While Jadeite was trying his hardest, the Kryptonian didn't even bother to give it his all—barely even a fraction of his strength was put into this fight; Jadeite could tell just by looking at him. He was making fun of him. That was the only reason the blond henchmen could think of it. The more it weighed on his mind, the angrier he became.

 _ **"You...How long do you plan to avoid me?"**_ Jadeite said angrily. _**"Stop wasting time and fight."**_

From above, Superman humored Jadeite's question as he slowly descended back towards the ground to the blond man.

"I'm not just gonna stand by and let you slug me." Superman admitted. "Consider me not attacking yet a handicap for you."

 ** _"Ha! You and I both know you have no time to play around. As we speak, those students in there are in danger, and you choose to waste time with me? Some hero YOU are."_** Jadeite said with a twisted grin.

"See, that's where you're wrong, Jadeite." Superman made clear with a confidence in him that put the henchmen in a questionably mood. "I'm _not_ the only hero here."

 _ **"Who? That brat? Don't make me laugh."**_ Jadeite said, while dusting himself off. _**"She's nothing but a pawn to the bigger picture here. She is weak; both physically and mentally. Whatever hope you have in her will be both your downfalls. What does one girl have against such a force as a wall of fire?"**_

Jadeite almost reveled in his own arrogance, but instead, he was left very unnerved. Unnerved from Superman not at all having a shred of worry on his face, but instead he...chuckled. It was low enough to not be full out laughing, but Jadeite heard it loud and clear.

"You seem to be mistaken, Jadeite." Superman declared. "It's not just _one_ girl."

* * *

The fires only continued to burn. Despite the safety insured on the inside of the school building, she still didn't keep her eyes off of the flames. It was almost as if she were expecting something to happen, or...maybe she wanted to do something about it. She hated just sitting there to do nothing about it, but, she also didn't want to just put herself at risk for people she barely knew...right? They _were_ , after all, strangers to her. So why put have such a desire to save them?

"Aaand done!"

Ami's attention was brought back towards Usagi, who had just finished bandaging her burnt hand with in the abandoned infirmary.

"Thank you, Tsukino-san." Ami thanked.

"Hey, no need to be so formal." Usagi said, sitting across from her. "You can call me Usagi."

"Okay, Usagi." Ami nodded. "So...how long have you been...this?"

"O-Oh, well...!"

"She's been Sailor Moon for about a week now." Luna interrupted, to her chagrin. "She is the sacred guardian of this city; standing in the way of the nestling evils that rear their ugly heads."

"Okay, but...why the outfit?" Ami had to ask.

Usagi, once again, felt self-conscious of her rather promiscuous uniform and quickly pulled her already short skirt down further to cover at least a larger portion of her legs.

"Ugh! Please don't remind me!" Usagi exclaimed bashfully. "Whose idea was it to have a fourteen year old girl where such a ridiculous outfit?-!"

"Who cares about how you look." Luna said, "As long as you are doing your job, the outfit should be the last thing to worry about."

" _You're_ not the one who has to worry about jumping around in a miniskirt!" Usagi exclaimed. "Ami, can you please say something to her...! Ami?"

Usagi saw that Ami had completely turned her attention towards the outside of the window. She seemed distracted by the burning flame wall that surrounded the school. She also had a pensive stare that didn't seem to waver for a second. Usagi wished she could look _that_ fierce when it came to fighting bad guys.

"Usagi..." Ami called.

"O-Oh, um, yeah?" Usagi scrambled to say.

"Tell me..." Ami's eyes settled back on Sailor Moon; that same pensive stare now looking at her. "...what do you _really_ think of Superman?"

Usagi was confused by what she meant and raised a brow.

"I mean, what you _really_ think of him...as a hero?" Ami asked. Her eyes traced down to her burnt hand, while she massaged it. "True, he _has_ saved countless people since being on Earth, and yes, he _has_ done good things for humanity...but...I just can't help but feel there's something...more to it."

"More?" Usagi wondered.

"Yes." Ami nodded. "For someone to do all that for no other reason but to just be a good person...it doesn't seem right." Her eyes went back to Usagi; this time with worry. "What if he's actually doing all this as a diversion, or his way of getting people's trust?"

"That's not—"

" _You_ wouldn't realize it because he has _your_ trust too!" Ami exclaimed. She practically startled Usagi. "He has power beyond anything we've ever seen before! He can do things that defy logic! If he wanted to, he could destroy us all without even trying! What I'm scared of is that he'll realize this, and just go ahead and do it!"

Ami stopped for a moment and took a deep breath. She realized she was going off on a tangent and didn't want to hurt Usagi's feelings about her new ally.

"I-I'm sorry..." Ami apologized. "...I don't _hate_ Superman or anything...but I just...I'm just scared of what he could do...doesn't it worry you?"

"Nope."

Ami's eyes shot up at the strangely dressed girl with confusion. However, she could also see something in Usagi; an unwavering confidence in herself and whatever she had in mind to say. There was no denying that.

"I never worry about Superman being some bad guy, because I know it would never come to that." Usagi waved off.

"But _how_ do you know that?-!" Ami argued.

"Easy..." Usagi stated. "...we had ice cream."

Now Ami looked at the girl like she had said something crazy. She looked towards Luna for some kind of explanation. Luna only shrugged.

"When we had ice cream...we talked about what people thought of him. He's heard the worst kind of things for so many years now...monster, alien, devil; it just didn't stop..." Usagi looked down at her gloved hands with a similar feeling of sadness that she knew Superman had felt that night. "I...I sometimes think about that, and get a little depressed...and the look on his face...it was almost heart breaking. All that pain, all that...sadness...it made me feel for him."

Ami was left speechless. Not once did she really take into account how _he_ must have felt about hearing all the negative things being said about him. She had always seen Superman as an alien who had the powers of a god, and the abilities to wipe out mankind at any given moment...but she never took into consideration how _he_ felt about the accusations. That only made Ami, herself, feel ashamed for thinking those awful thoughts and being no better then the naysayers.

"In fact...he's actually a lot like _you_ , Ami." Usagi brought up.

"Huh?"

"I mean...you don't really talk to a lot of people. Some even say your all stuck up and don't like anyone, but I don't think that's true." Usagi said with a warm smile. "I think you just need to talk to someone who can understand you, someone who knows that you're not the snobby know-it-all that people assume you are...maybe...someone like me?"

Ami's eyes widened. "Y-You mean it?"

"Of course!" Usagi said cheerfully. "We could be friends too, y'know! And you can have plenty other friends as well! All you gotta do is say hello."

"Say...hello..." Ami repeated.

She began to see what Usagi and, to an extent, the reporter, Clark, was trying to say. If people just got to know her better, then maybe they'd see that she wasn't what they thought she was. It also made Ami sort of empathize with Superman. All she's ever gotten was hurtful comments being made behind her back, and avoidance by her fellow piers. She wanted to be accepted, but because of her intelligence and her social anxiety, she had become shunned by her own classmates. She realized that her and Superman really _weren't_ so different after all.

She had been in such deep thought, that it took a moment for her to realize that a hand had been in front of her the whole time. She looked up and saw a smiling Usagi holding her hand out for her to shake.

"If you wanna start with someone, you can start with me." She said.

Ami was hesitant at first, but nonetheless took a hold of Usagi's hand and felt the thin material of cloth that gloved her hand touch the bandage's on Ami's. There was such a strange, yet serine feeling to the handshake, that it made Ami feel safer then she ever felt before. It was like she had someone to confine in rather then face all of this alone. If this was what it meant to have friends, she could get use to the tender feeling.

For the first time in what felt like ages, Ami smiled; not a fake smile to hide her inner turmoil, but a genuine smile that made her happy to be alive and with a friend.

"Hello, Usagi Tsukino..." Ami introduced. "...my name is Ami Mizuno."

A big smile appeared on Usagi's face. "Yeah! It's nice to finally meet you, Ami!"

For a moment, the situation felt as heartwarming as it could get, until a sudden discovery was made.

"Huh? A-Ami! Your forehead!" Usagi exclaimed.

Ami had noticed it the moment Usagi brought attention to it. She couldn't see it, but she did feel a strange vibration ringing in her head. She also saw a bright light coming from off her forehead as well. It was an odd heart shape with a cross in the bottom of it. It was bright enough to light the single red hue that surrounded the infirmary from the fires outside.

"W-What's happening to me?-!" Ami said in a panic.

"Wait! Of course, I get it now!" Luna chimed in. "This was the strange energy that I've been feeling for a while now!"

"Strange energy...!" Usagi said, "What does _that_ mean?"

"It means...she's just like you, Usagi...!" Luna confirmed. "...Ami is _also_ a Sailor Guardian!"

"SAY WHAAAAT?-!" Usagi practically shrieked.

"M-Me?-! A Sailor Guardian?-!" Ami said in disbelief. "B-But how?-!"

"There's no time to explain now!" Luna said.

The black cat quickly leaped into the air and preformed a flip with a strange aura surrounding her. once she landed, the aura stayed in place in the air, as it materialized into a solid form. Before they knew it, in a small spark of light, the aura had become a strange pen with a golden scepter on top of it. The pen fell right into Ami's hands.

"What is this thing?" Ami questioned.

"Quickly! Shout out the words ' _Mercury Power Make-up!_ '" Luna instructed.

"B-But I...!"

"Come on, Ami! You can do it!" Usagi encouraged.

Ami was still unsure if she was the right person for the job, but given the circumstances, she didn't want to be a victim and do nothing. This was her chance to finally do something about her shortcomings, and face her own confidence problems. It was time to say hello to the new her.

Ami stood up from her chair and spoke the words;

"Mercury Power Make-up!"

The pen began to glow as her body was enveloped in an almost watery spiral of ribbons. they had completely covered her from head to toe, before releasing her in a small spark of light. What was left on her was a Sailor uniform very similar to Sailor Moon's, however Ami's was of a blue accent from her boots, skirt and bow on her chest and back waist. Her tiara was gold with a blue gem, while her earrings matched the blue theme her uniform was going for.

Ami was left speechless by the way she was dressed. It was something unlike anything she's ever seen or felt. There was a slow building power residing within her. She felt stronger, more confident in herself...she also felt a draft around her legs, but that was beside the point.

"Wow. I guess I _was_ right!" Luna said in surprise. "Ami really _was_ the second guardian; Sailor Mercury!"

"Whoa! That's so awesome!" Usagi said with excitement. "And Ami, that shade of blue looks SO good on you!"

"Y-You think so...?" Ami said bashfully.

"Hey, you can admire her looks another time!" Luna interrupted. "Ami, I think you just might have what it takes to put out this fire wall around the school."

"M-Me?-!"

"Yes! You're Sailor Mercury! You have the abilities of water, so maybe you could do something about this." Luna explained. "It's worth a shot."

"Yeah, Ami! You should give it a go!" Usagi agreed.

"Um...okay...what am I suppose to do?"

"Call out the words ' _Bubble Spray_ ' and that _should_ do something." Luna said.

"Alright...Bubble Spray!"

A small light had begun to build in the palm of her hands that formed into an orb of pure liquid. It was like her own personal water sphere that she had full control of. She was completely mystified by it as she twirled it around and threw it up like a baseball. She quickly had the idea of expanding it into a larger orb that practically formed the size of a gallon.

"I-I think I can make it bigger!" Ami said with uncertainty.

"Wow...Hey, wait! We could use that!" Usagi realized. "Come on! We need to get to the roof!"

* * *

Back outside, the fight continued to rage on as Superman was more then able to dodge everything that the new Brainiac-powered Jadeite had thrown at him. From rays of sheer energy, to blast that could reduce an entire building to burning rubble, and even speeds that were faster then the normal eyes could possibly keep up with; all of it was the best of Jadeite's new abilities.

Despite that, the Man of Steel easily avoided every attack thrown at him like nothing. It was apparent due to Superman simply floating in the air with his arms still crossed, and an unamused look on his face. He looked down at the exhausted Jadeite who had to rest with his hands on his knees and was panting harshly.

 **"Dammit...! Damn it all...!"** Jadeite said harshly in between breaths. **"Why...Why can't I just HIT you...?-! Do you think me...a fool to challenge you...? Is that it?-!"**

Superman said nothing.

 **"Who do you think you are to sit up there and look down on me like I'm nothing...? Do you feel as though you are above all others...with those powers of yours...? Does being the last son of a dead race...make you feel special in this world...? You are but a speck...to the Great Ruler...and her soon-to-be conquest of this pathetic rock of a planet!"**

Superman once again said nothing.

 **"SAY SOMETHING, YOU BASTARD!-!"**

Superman sighed and finally spoke.

"I'd say were just about done here. Give up."

A vein had popped on his forehead. That was the final snap of his sanity as he lost himself into a fit of rage. A hellish roar escaped his mouth, as he leaped off of the ground with a harsh take off that left the ground he stood on in cracks. Superman took to the skies with Jadeite right behind him. The two soared in the air like bullets; slamming into one another and zipping across the skies as if the sound barrier were a simple window to break through.

Their flying battle took closer towards the ground with each strike creating a crater in the sand. Finally, Jadeite got a hit on Superman that he easily blocked, but was sent flying into solid wall of fire. Jadeite did not let Superman have a chance to breathe, and soared right at him with an energized right hook. His fist made contact and created a sonic wave of sheer aura that made the flames dance wildly.

Jadeite Almost reveled in the moment of victory, before he turned to see that the Man of Steel had already dodge the attack and was once again floating in mid-air with his arms crossed; looking down at him.

 **"Hmph, now I get it...!"** Jadeite realized with a grin. **"You're afraid of me, aren't you? You're frightened of my strength possibly being more then what you can handle, is that it? That has to be the reason! What other one could there be?"**

Clark took one small glance up towards the roof; a presumptuous smile appeared on his face, that made Jadeite's fall immediately.

"Simple..." Superman stated. "...I was just distracting you long enough for _that_."

Superman pointed towards the roof of the fiery school building. Jadeite's eyes followed and grew wide at what he saw.

Emerging from the top of the raging inferno was a strange lucid orb that almost resembled a bubble; filled with a body of water. It slowly ascended over the flames and threatened to burst. But what really caught Jadeite's eye was the single woman who stood on the surface of the water inside the bubble—it wasn't Sailor Moon, but instead another girl who wore a similar uniform to Sailor Moon. However, she had more blue to hers, along with her short hair. Inside the bubble, she seemed to have been dancing on the water like a professional ballerina.

 **"W-What...?-! Who the hell is that?-!"**

"An alley." Superman confirmed.

Inside the bubble, Sailor Mercury made one last graceful spin, before crossing her arms in front of her.

"Bubble...!"

Another bright, blue orb had formed in front of her that slowly expanded to be as large as herself.

"...Spray!"

Sailor Mercury swung her arms, and allowed the bright orb to collapse on itself. But that wasn't all. The giant bubble had also popped and released a lake's worth of pure crystal water onto the raging fire that surrounded the school. The flames that were thought to be unstoppable, were almost immediately doused the moment Ami's Bubble Splash made contact. It was the perfect rain storm to save the school building from incineration; all that was left was chartered remains and black soot that could barely make a small bud.

 **"No...No...!"** Jadeite said in shock.

He watched in horror as his once powerful fire wall, be reduced to nothing in one foul swoop. All his sudden planning and last chance to have leverage over his enemies had been stolen from him. That, along with being toyed with by his opponent, brought great shame to his ego. He could do nothing but just stand there, dumbfounded, as his entire world crumbled.

But the 'L' didn't stop there. He felt a single finger push deep into his cheek, that snapped him back to reality and forced him to look over his shoulder.

"Well then, looks like I win." Superman said.

This man...he had the nerve to challenge Jadeite to a foolish game, toyed with him the entire time, somehow found another girl to thwart his plans, and _then_ had the nerve to beat him in the game as if it were nothing? Jadeite was at a loss for words. Instead what replaced his sense of reason for those few seconds were the seething red vision or hatred for the Kryptonian. He instinctively threw his hand in front of Superman as it transformed into a mechanized canon that had quickly charged up by the sound of it.

 **"DIIIIIEEE!-!"** Jadeite yelled intensely.

His arm canon had reached maximum charge; its threatening glow becoming brighter and brighter. His arm vibrating from the weight of the immense blast that was just about to fire off into Superman's face...

...then it happened.

The light slowly diminished as the arm continued to shake.

 **"What...? What is—GYAAAH!-!"**

Jadeite screamed in agony as his arm literally fell apart right in front of them. The metallic armor that protected both his arms and legs had begone to peel off of his body is such a painful manor that parts of his skin also began to fall off of him as well. All that was left were bleeding, naked arms, and his long pants now shorter with his legs bleeding the same way. The worst were the ones that fell off his neck—what was left were small puncture wounds that were right under both sides of his chin.

"Ack! M-My...My power...!" Jadeite said through deep panting.

Jadeite practically fell to his knees trying to regain his breath and gasping for air. He could still feel an unsettling feeling submerge over him, but didn't know what it could be.

"Superman!"

The Man of Steel turned to see Sailor Moon arrive along with Luna and the newest member to her Sailor Scouts.

"Stay back, please." Superman insisted. "It's not over yet."

Both girls and the cat stopped in their tracks as Jadeite slowly rose to his feet with barely enough strength to stand up straight. He was still gasping for air, however he also had a horrified look to his face that made it as if he had just seen a ghost. He looked at his shaking hands and realized the harsh reality of it all.

"M...My...My power...!" He gasped as he looked up at Superman. "W-What...What happened to my powers...? I can't feel anything...! Not Brainiac's nanites or...or even _my_ own powers...! What did you do?-!"

Superman reached behind his waist and pulled out something small—it appeared to be a small syringe with fly-like wings, and his emblem on it.

"I did what was best." Superman answered.

"W-What is that thing...?" Jadeite asked frantically.

"A precaution." Superman explained. "Y'see I've dealt with Brainiac many times before; each time he rears his ugly head, he uses nano machines to influence other people or machines to his will. In order to prevent that from happening again, I had my fortress create an antibody serum. Once injected, it combats Brainiacs nanites."

"But...! When did you...?"

"It was the first strike you threw at me." Superman confessed. "It just took a while before it showed results."

Jadeite remembered him soaring right past the Kryptonian. Could it be that he had injected him with the syringe so fast that he didn't even see it in time? Jadeite couldn't believe anyone could be _that_ fast to have pulled something like that off. Of course, this was no ordinary _someone_ either.

"As for your original powers, you can blame Brainiac for that one." Superman confirmed. "When his nanites infuse with DNA, they corrode people's genetic make up and becomes one with their vessel. Because my antibody targets nanomachines within the entire body, it confused the genetic abnormalities in your brain, or your naturally bred powers, for Brainiac's nanites. And when it found it, the antibody disposed of it."

"Wow, I didn't know Superman was _that_ smart...!" Sailor Moon said in astonishment.

"S-So...that means I'm...!" Jadeite looked at his shaking hands and was riddled with horror in his heart. "I'm actually...!"

Superman nodded. "Yep. As far as _you're_ concerned...you're human now, Jadeite."

Jadeite's world felt as though it crumbled into nothing. Everything he was born to be, crafted himself to become, driven himself to achieve; all of it...gone. He was no longer of any use to Queen Beryl, nor the Great Ruler. He no longer had a purpose for himself, and was reduced to a sniveling human with nothing left other then living. He couldn't bare it. It was too much for him to even begin to fathom. The thought of not having a purpose to serve was as torturous as his punishment for failing.

"No...No...NOOO!-!"

Jadeite yelled frantically as he swung his fist into Superman's face. Each punch felt like punching a metal wall as Superman barely reacted to them. Soon his knuckles even began to bleed. Superman saw thing and blocked his last punch from hitting him. He then pushed him back; almost making Jadeite trip.

Jadeite ran back a bit to get a good amount of distance from him. However, he suddenly stopped.

He remembered that he really had no other place to go. He couldn't get in contact with Queen Beryl, nor could he teleport to their hideout. For the first time in his life, Jadeite felt...small. He didn't feel any sort of strength from his body anymore. He felt he might as well have compared himself to an ant. He was nothing now.

He had nothing left...but his rage—rage directed right at the man responsible.

"Superman..." Jadeite said bitterly. "...you coward..."

Superman was silent.

"You used that cheap trick to weaken me; to steal my powers away from me!" Jadeite yelled. "That was the plan all along—Distract me long enough to not only put my flame wall out, but to also wait for your serum to affect me! And now I suppose this is the part where you just take me in?-! Is that it?-!"

Jadeite put his bleeding fist up in retaliation. The girls and Luna couldn't see it, but Superman saw it all too clearly. Despite his anger and his readiness to fight, his fist began to tremble.

"I refuse! I refuse to be humiliated in such a way!" Jadeite roared. "You _will_ end this, Kryptonian! I _will_ have satisfaction! So don't you dare hold back on me! You will fight me until I am battered and broken on the ground! Go on! Show these girls the merciless rogue you _really_ are! Show them the man who stole what was mine and reduced me to nothing! Show me your _true_ power, _Super_ man!"

Sailor Moon and Mercury were sensing great hostility coming from Jadeite. Neither could truly relate since they had been born and raised human. They didn't understand the gravity of loss Jadeite had just gone through.

However, they looked towards Superman, only to see him standing there—arms crossed, and starring intently at Jadeite in his most pathetic state. He said nothing right away, and didn't move a muscle. All he did was sigh to himself, before looking back at Jadeite from afar.

"Now then, come and fight me right no—"

Before another word could escape Jadeite's mouth, it took only a second for his brain to register the Man of Steel was standing right in front of him. He had moved so fast, that he almost seemed to transport right before him. He had no time to prepare himself. The fear only sat in further once Jadeite saw Superman winding up his fist and lifting it back.

Usagi covered her eyes for what she feared would happen. But Ami...Ami was left in terror...The look in his eyes...those once kind eyes that filled with light, were replaced with a menacing glow of red that felt as though they'd burn right through the blond man's head.

Jadeite was caught in their glow like a deer in headlights. He knew there was nothing he could do against this unstoppable force of destruction. He could only stand there, and accept his own demise. Then Jadeite saw the fist; it approached like a speeding train towards him. For a moment, it looked as though the fist was the size of a meteor—hurdling towards him. It came closer, and closer; the very wind pressure blowing at him so hard he could barely breath. For the first time in his life, he could see, feel, and hear death approaching him.

Then, just as it came towards him...it missed.

The man in blue's fist narrowly missed the side of Jadeite's face. Behind that punch came the most intense blow back of both solid air, and the shattering of at least two sound barriers. The punch was so intense that it felt like an earthquake had erupted across a quarter half of the city. When all had settled, and the dust had subsided, the girls saw that Superman's punch didn't just leave wind in its wake, but was even powerful enough to rip the ground behind Jadeite into a path of rubble.

Jadeite was speechless; petrified with a stunned expression on his face. There was no other thought in his mind that could form into words. He dropped to his knees and was far too gone to lift a finger. He saw Superman's eyes slowly return to those normal blue ones. Jadeite followed those eyes as they came down to his level.

He suddenly felt something from this alien's eyes...sincerity being the closest thing Jadeite could comprehend.

"Jadeite...I didn't do this to punish you..." He said. "...I'm doing this to save you."

Jadeite slowly regained his right mind and only repeated the last words Superman said.

"S-Save...me?"

"Yes." Superman nodded.

He placed a hand on the startled Jadeite's shoulder to get his senses back together quicker. Once he regained himself, Jadeite looked Superman right in the eyes and finally heard him out.

"I don't know what your relationship as a lackey is like under Queen Beryl per say, but I _do_ know about Brainiac." Superman explained. "I assure you; once he had discovered your failure, he would've used the nanites to track you down and kill you on the spot. This was the only way to prevent that. I'm sorry it also cost you your _own_ powers."

"B-But...what do I do...now?" Jadeite uttered.

Superman stood up, with Jadeite's arm in tow.

"There's only one thing you _can_ do now...live."

Jadeite was obviously beside himself, but also confused at the prospect of ' _living_ '. How could he do something he's already doing? What did Superman mean by that? He desperately wanted to know. Instead, Superman slowly lifted off into the air with Jadeite's arm over his shoulder and Superman's own arm around his waist.

"Sailor Moon, I'm taking Jadeite to the proper authorities." Superman called. "You should call an ambulance for any students or faculty that are hurt."

"Uh, yeah, sure thing!" Sailor Moon nodded. "Leave it to me!"

Superman nodded. He then turned his gaze towards Sailor Mercury. She tensed up for a moment but looked him dead in his eyes. For the first time, she actually didn't see a threat, or a being who could destroy the world, but instead saw a man with the most humble of smiles to offer her.

"You did good miss..." Superman called. "...I hope you won't mind working with the two of us."

Ami didn't respond right away for fear that she might bite her tongue and say something embarrassing. Instead, she only nodded. She didn't trust him _that_ much just yet, but she could at least tell that he wasn't so scary of a guy as she originally thought.

"And Luna..." He eyed the black cat who was startled by him in trying to escape. "...when I get back, we need to have a little talk."

Luna shakily looked over her shoulder with a nervous smile as she said; "Heh heh, uh, yeah, sure thing..."

Both Sailor Moon and Mercury were confused—neither had any clue were this sudden tension between them came from.

Rather then pry on for information on it, the girls let Superman hoist Jadeite away and into the city ahead of their school. Just then, the girls and Luna could hear the sounds of police sirens approaching the school.

"Uh oh! You two need to change back and head into the school!" Luna suggested.

"Oh yeah, right! Come on Ami!" Usagi said while pulling on her arm.

"W-What? Why? Shouldn't we let them know that we—"

"You _really_ wanna talk to the police in _that_ get-up?"

Usagi rose a good point. She still felt instinctive to pull the already short skirt down once the thought about others seeing her dressed like that.

"You got a point..." She muttered with rosy cheeks.

* * *

The police and ambulance had arrived to Juban Junior High in record timing. The remaining students who were injured were taken to the hospital, while the rest luckily came out of the ordeal unharmed. Superman was there to assist anyway he could, while the Sailor scouts in hiding returned to being mild-mannered students on the rooftops where they could have privacy. Once they had reached the top, Ami's legs immediately gave out, and she fell right to the ground in exhaustion.

"It's finally over..." She sighed.

"Yep, another day won..." Sailor Moon agreed as she too fell to the ground with her. "I could really go for some cake right now..."

"You both did great today." Luna said. "We were lucky there was another Sailor Scout here, otherwise it would've been a far worse scenario."

"You're telling me...Is this what its like for you all everyday?" Ami asked.

"I only started doing for a week, so when it starts to get old, you'll be the first one to know..." Usagi laughed.

Ami joined in on the laughter as well. It had been so long since she got to laugh so heartily like that. She almost couldn't recognize it as her own. It felt...good to find humor in something as hard, physical work and saving the defenseless. It almost made her feel confident in herself for a job well done.

"But really, this is awesome!" Usagi said, standing back up. "With you here, you'll be a great help to us!"

"That's for sure." Luna agreed.

"Wow, thank you." Ami said happily. "I'll do my best from this point on."

"Yep...soooo, you're pretty good at acing test, amirite~?" Usagi said with a rather creepy smile that put a chill down Ami's spine. "I have a feeling we'll be spending a loooot of time together~"

"U-Um...yeah, sure thing..." Ami said nervously. She didn't know it, but the poor girl had already signed herself to trouble; both socially, and hero wise.

Both their attention turned towards the sight of Superman flying off into the air and into the horizon of the city beyond. They were fortunate that he arrived just in time to save them, but Usagi wondered how he was able to arrive in the school and through the wall of fire. If he really _was_ weak against magic, he wouldn't have gotten through so easily.

Suddenly the girls jumped at the sound of the rooftop's door swinging open. Through it came a tired, and heavy breathing Clark Kent, who adjusted his glasses.

"Phew! Thank goodness I found you two...!" Clark said graciously.

"Reporter-san!" Ami said.

"Kent-san! There you are!" Usagi smiled. "I thought something bad happened to you."

"Heh, that's my line, Usagi..." Clark said. "When the faculty was doing a head count, you two were no where in sight! I felt responsible and went looking. Guess I was worried for nothing."

"Yep! Us girls can take care of ourselves!" She said proudly with Ami in arms. "Right, Ami?"

"Huh? O-Oh, yes, of course." Ami agreed.

"Really...? Well that's good to hear." Clark said happily. "Anyway, you girls should hurry off now. They're letting students off early given the situation."

"Really?-! Alright!" Usagi cheered. "I'm headed straight for the bakery! I've been dying for some cake all morning!"

Usagi took off past Clark and towards the door, but stopped to turn towards Ami.

"You coming, Ami?" Usagi asked.

"You go on ahead, I'll join you a little bit."Ami said.

The blond pigtails wondered what would keep her, but didn't feel like prying an answer out of her. Instead she shrugged, and went on ahead while chanting ' _strawberry cake_ ' over and over again.

Once she was gone, Ami approached Clark to speak with him more privately.

"I...I just wanted to say thank you." She said.

"Oh? For what?"

"For giving me that helpful advice earlier." Ami had her hands behind her back to twiddle her thumbs with rosy red blush on her cheeks. "It's a little embarrassing to have to say, but your words really resonated with me in the unusual way...I just wanted to say thanks to that."

"I see." Clark said, "I'm glad to have helped. But I don't deserve all the credit."

Clark placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and looked her right in the eyes.

"It was all thanks to _your own_ bravery; and not just in making friends." Clark explained. "The way you charged into the face of danger for the students was the sure sign that you had that strength in you all this time. I guess you just needed to right situation to bring it out. And _that_ is something you should be very proud of."

Ami couldn't keep her lips from smiling any larger then they already were. She had received admiration before, but never like this. It made her feel a warm sensation in her chest that she seldom felt. She hoped she didn't blush too much/ She had to turn her gaze, otherwise she'd just die of embarrassment.

"T-Thank you." She said bashfully. "I-I should be going now. Usagi's waiting for me."

Clark gave Ami the right of way towards the door. She proceeded onward towards the door sill, but before she went through it, she had say one last thing.

"By the way..." She looked over her shoulder with a smile on her face. "...Thanks for saving us."

Clark's eyes went wide. "Whatever do you—"

"Oh, come on." Ami said, "Those glasses may be able to fool Usagi, but not me."

Clark tried to say something to that, but couldn't form the words he needed to cover his own ass. Instead, he sighed and gave up the shtick.

"Clever girl." Clark said.

"I know~" She smiled. "And don't worry, your secrets safe with me."

With that, she proceeded through the door and out of sight. Clark scratched the back of his head; trying to grasp how this was going to play out. He had no doubt Ami could keep a secret, it was Usagi that he had to worry about if _she_ ever figured it out. Only time would tell, he supposed.

"Well, now that they're gone..." Luna strolled over towards Clark's side and looked up at him. "...it's time we talked."

"Right." Clark nodded.

"I knew you were there the night I spoke with my associate." Luna stated. "Keep in mind that what I need to tell you is of limited information for now, but I promise you; all will be revealed soon."

Clark was slowly getting tired of this game of cat n' mouse for the truth. He wished he'd just get a straight up answer to all of this. Sadly, he had a feeling sooner or later, he'd have to dig deeper on his own. For now, he'd have no choice but to take the small nuggets of information.

"Okay...tell me what you can."

* * *

Meanwhile, deep within the bowls of the Dark Kingdom's secret base, Queen Beryl had become agitated over the sudden disappearance of one of her most loyal servants, Jadeite. It was as though he had vanished from her sight in an instant. Did Superman or this _Sailor Moon_ kill him? Not that it mattered to her what happened to the lackey—she had plenty more where that came from, but it was the principle of losing one so soon that put a fire under her.

"It appears the one called Jadeite has failed."

Queen Beryl looked up from her crystal ball to see Brainiac approach her.

"It was your blasted nanites that caused his demise." Beryl said with spite. "Superman had a way to combat them."

"On the contrary, that was _exactly_ what I calculated to unfold."

The Queen raised a brow towards his statement.

"I would never allow my precious technology to nestle within such a primitive being as that boy. He only served as the catalyst to attain knowledge of my enemy. One of my nanites survived and has related very intriguing results."

"Such as?" Beryl questioned.

"It seems that there is, not one, but _two_ of these Sailor Guardian."

"What?"

"Exactly my thoughts." Brainiac agreed while pacing the room. "I believe that there is much to learn about these Sailor Guardians then what is already established. For now, you will need someone to replace Jadeite for his failure. I must gather more knowledge of these girls and the Kryptonian. Only then can I assist you in awakening your Great Ruler."

Obviously Queen Beryl was doubtful of anything Brainiac was saying to her, and was more incline to dispose of him right away, however he _did_ carry with him the knowledge needed to awaken the Great Ruler quicker then how they were going originally. Plus, it would be worth it to have someone like Superman bend to her will. They would be unstoppable.

"Very well." She agreed. "Nephrite!"

Similar to the fashion at which Jadeite would appear, Nephrite emerged from the appearance of blue flames. In their wake, there stood a young man who looked slightly older then Jadeite with wavy brown, long hair, and glimmering blue eyes. He too wore a similar black suit as Jadeite did. He gave a bow towards his queen, while sending daggers towards Brainac, who stood beside the Queen's throne.

"You summoned me, my queen?"

"Jadeite has been defeated." Queen Beryl confirms. "I leave his orders in your hands. It is now your time to collect human energy, and defeat both the Sailor Scouts, _and_ Superman. Can I trust you to fulfill this mission?"

"But of course, your majesty." Nephrite said with a sinister grin. "Jadeite was an incompetent fool. I will make no such mistakes. All I ask is but a month to carry out my plans. I will assure you, this _Superman_ and those Sailor scouts will be as good as yours."

"Very well." Beryl said, "Go, Nephrite, prepare for your travel. May the Great Ruler shine upon you."

"Oh, believe me, your majesty, she most certainly will." Nephrite smiled.

His menacing chuckle filled the empty space with a haunting echo.


	3. Fire of Mars

**_Hey all you lovelies. Sorry it's taken so long to bring this to you all._**

 ** _So, here's another author's note; so, Superman's suit is based on multiple versions all put into one. The influences come from Injustice 2, the DCEU Superman, CW Superman, the Rebirth comics, Christopher Reeve, and of course, the greatest of them all; George Reeves' Superman (LOL)_**

 **For Superman's age, I don't necessarily have a number per say, but essentially, this is a Superman with a lot of experience under his belt.**

 ** _Okay, author's note over. Time to get into the story._**

 ** _REMINDER: For anyone curious as to what picture I'm talking about that inspired this story, check out the artist's Tumblr, tiggersmoke._**

 ** _DISCLIAMER: I OWN NOTHING. Superman and Sailor Moon belong to their respected creators and NOT ME. Please support these characters and their official releases._**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 3: Fire of Mars_**

* * *

A warm night had arrived once more in the Juban district of Tokyo. A burst of red flames had formed on top of one of the tallest buildings of the district. From it appeared the Dark Kingdom solider known as Nephrite. His journey to Tokyo proved to be a fruitful experience through the vales of the darkness. Now he was able to take in that crisp human air and feel the slight breeze through his hair.

He walked towards the edge of the building and saw an entire land of lights and far off city sounds. He then looked up at the stars in the night sky with that half full moon barely bringing light of its own.

"Hmph. These humans..." Nephrite said, "...look how they build and build upon this planet. Their manufactured lights barely give way for the moon to shine...such a shame."

"I'm guessing you're more the environmental type."

Nephrite looked over his shoulder, then turned to see the famed _Man of Steel_ slowly descend onto the roof with him. He was impressed; he had only heard rumors of _the_ Superman through the wicked grape vine of the Dark Kingdom's minions, but was not prepared for how alien he truly felt. The intensity in his eyes told Nephrite he wasn't too pleased to see another Dark Kingdom resident return a few days after the last one was defeated.

"So _you're_ Superman; The last son of the destroyed Krypton." Nephrite said, brushing his long, flowing hair back.

"I'm guessing Brainac told you that." Superman figured as he crossed his arms.

Nephrite scoffed. "As if I would need that metallic shut-in to tell me anything. I do my _own_ research. And I must say, you and your very history is...extraordinary. Of course, not as extraordinary as myself."

"Thanks for the backhanded compliment." Superman said. "Now unless you're here to see the sights, I suggest you leave."

Nephrite scoffed. "Just as intimidating as I heard..."

Nephrite could tell Superman wasn't for his small talk and decided to just come clean to the flying man.

"Allow me the pleasure of introducing myself." He said with a curious bow. "My name is Nephrite. I am the one Queen Beryl has entrusted the mission of collecting energy for the Great Ruler in Jadeite's absence."

"You're not gonna try and attack me like _he_ did, are you?" Superman figured. "I should warn you; that didn't go to well for _him_."

"Oh, I assure you I won't make the same mistake." Nephrite said, "I'm here for nothing more than to watch the events unfold. As we speak there are multiple Youma that I've sent throughout Juban who have their assigned positions—some worse than the last."

"They'll be stopped all the same." Superman stated.

"Hmph. We'll see." Nephrite said with a sinister grin.

He took a few steps back, until his feet were on the very edge of the building. Superman reacted by dropping his arms and becoming anxious for if he was going to jump off. He wanted to be prepared if he accidentally lost his footing.

"Well, now. You _are_ interesting..." Nephrite pondered, "...You'd actually attempt to save an enemy if they were to fall off a building right in front of you?"

"Everyone deserves to see the next morning." The man in blue said.

"Admirable as ever. I appreciate your blind valor, but I'm afraid you will have lose that foolish mentality..." He reached into his back pouch and pulled out a small, black container. "...Whether you would like to or not."

Nephrite opened the container; what emerged was a blinding green light that illuminated onto Superman's body. The moment he felt it, Clark's body began to feel weak, and weary. He was unable to keep himself from falling to his knees and losing his breath. Everything ached, while his head felt like it was on fire. His eyes had to turn away from the bright green light as they began to go dry.

"Augh...! W-Where...where did you—"

"I may not like having that green-skinned fool as a higher up over me, but he _does_ contain useful items to assist me and my minions—kryptonite, for example." Nephrite said wickedly.

He extended his hand closer towards Superman as the effects of the kryptonite took an even harsher toll on his body. He could feel his consciousness floating in and out by the second. Nephrite took full advantage of this as he was reveling in his own brilliance at besting _the_ Man of Steel with such ease.

Then, just as he felt success in his grasp, something struck Nephrite's hand and forced him to drop the green rock and sent it tumbling across the ground. Both Nephrite and Superman looked over to see that it had been a single red rose that had been stabbed into the roof's ground.

"What is this?" Nephrite questioned. "Who did that?"

"That's enough, villain!"

Both Nephrite and Superman looked towards the other side of the building and saw a single silhouette standing in front of the moon. It was obvious to Superman by the cape flying in the wind and the top hat as to who it truly was.

"And who might you be?" Nephrite asked.

" _I_ am known as Tuxedo Mask!" He said, "And any enemy of Superman's is an enemy of mine."

"Humph." Nephrite scoffed. "As luck would have it for the both of you, I have no time to waste here fighting. This is where we part ways. Do try to keep me entertained until we meet again, son of Krypton."

With those last words, Nephrite leaped from the building and disappeared into a burst of red flames.

Tuxedo Mask ran towards the kryptonite and picked it up to place it in his pocket. He checked on Superman's condition by taking a knee next to him. "Are you alright, Superman?"

"Y-Yeah...I just need a good ten minutes or so...Thank you." Superman said.

"Of course." Tuxedo mask nodded. He took Superman's arm and helped him back on his feet. Though he still felt weak from the exposure, the man in blue could slowly feel his energy return to him little by little. When he felt he could stand on his own, Superman assured him that he was alright.

"It seems we've both got our hands full, doesn't it?" Tuxedo Mask said, "The threat to Juban grows stronger by the day."

"Yeah, it does...say, you wouldn't happen to know anything about these _Youma_ or this ' _Great Ruler_ ' they keep talking about, do you?"

Tuxedo Mask thought about it for a moment before answering. "I'm sorry, but no."

"I see..."

"If there _is_ anything, I'll be sure to let you know." Tuxedo Mask said,

"Alright..." Superman nodded. "...any little bit helps."

Tuxedo Mask nodded, and proceeded towards the edge of the roof. As he continued, he said one last thing; "In the meantime, please continue to watch over Sailor Moon. I will be in the shadows to aid you both anyway I can."

With that, Tuxedo Mask nodded, and took off over the edge of the building. Superman watched as he slowly levitated downward into the city below. Clark had to give it to the boy; he had style. However, he wondered if Mamoru will ever share this secret identity with him? Clark figured it out the moment he saw him on the first night he met Usagi. He assumed that was something for another time.

At the moment, he thought about what Nephrite said in regard to his Youma minions being scoured all across the Juban district of Tokyo. He didn't know how many there were, but it was safe to assume there were at least a dozen of them, hiding in plain sight, while preparing for their next move. He only hoped him, Usagi, Luna, and their newest ally, Ami, were enough to stop them. Something told Clark that the kryptonite Nephrite had wasn't going to be the last he'd see in the city.

* * *

Another day had passed on Juban with Clark feeling more drained then he did the very morning of the day. He had no idea that Juban's Daily Planet would be even _more_ of a hassle to pile through then his own back in Metropolis. And with all the weirdness going on recently, Clark's fingers felt like they were going to fall off if he had to type another editorial. He did remember Lois warning him that Juban Daily Planet was going to be a whole other ball game. He wished he heeded the warning.

Upon his usual commute, Clark happened to have spotted that old shrine he would usually pass by. It sat on a pair of old stone stairs that went up a large hill and towards the entrance gate to the shrine itself. He had never actually been up there, but he does happen to see it while flying over the district and outside it. Humble enough but seemed to not get much offerings. Not too hard to imagine considering it sat on a hill that involved climbing some long stairs. It was exhausting just thinking about it.

Still, something told him it was worth checking out the place. At the very least he could see what the shrine was all about.

He took one step onto one of the cobble stairs, and suddenly he felt...strange.

It was as if something came over him like a wave. A chill ran down from head to toe—gripping his entire body in a tight embrace. Clark immediately removed his foot from the step, and just as the feeling came, it left his body, and all was back to normal.

"What was that...?" Clark wondered. "One of those Youma...?"

Just then, Clark happened to come across a small group of girls walking down the stairs. Judging by their tanned uniforms, they weren't students from Usagi's school. He had moved out of the way for them to pass by. Once they were close enough for him to see their faces, Clark was left puzzled at the expressions the three of them wore. Each one of them looked drained, with dead fish-like eyes. They weren't conversating with each other, nor did they have that bubbly, lively attitude that most girls their age would. They all walked in unison down the street without so much as a word.

Red flags were already raised from the strange feeling he got from stepping on one of the steps of the shrine, but the lifeless girls only added to the mystery. One thing was clear in Clark's mind; the shrine was the answer.

"Hmm...not a job for Superman just yet..." Clark muttered to himself. "...Investigative journalism, it is."

Clark looked out for anybody who may have been around. Once he saw that the cost was clear, he held on his glasses as he levitated inches off of the ground and quickly took a glide up the stairway. It was certainly better and faster than walking. As he went up, he could no longer feel that strange sensation he felt before. Whatever it could've been, it must've went with those girls. Before he made any assumptions, he needed to see the source.

Clark was only a few steps before reaching the top and decided to plant his feet back down in case someone were to come down the stairs from the shrine. Running the rest of the way, Clark had finally reached the end, and was met with an old shrine that looked like something out of an old Samurai movie. But what immediately got his attention was the scene taking place right in front of him.

"Evil Spirit! Be exorcized!"

A blur of white suddenly swooped across the ground and planted its hands onto some school girl's face. It all happened so fast, that Clark had to take a second (literally) to catch up. Once he did, he saw that the white blur was actually a young girl, possibly older then Usagi, dressed in a miko shrine maiden uniform. She had long, flowing black hair that went past her bottom, and black matching eyes.

The girl that she had hit was none other than Usagi, along with her friends Naru, who was holding Luna in hand, and the newest Alley, Ami. What Usagi was hit with turned out to be a piece of thin rectangular paper with, what Clark assumed was, calligraphy on the front.

Usagi was sent flat on her back—knocked out and babbling to herself before completely losing consciousness.

"Ah! Usagi-chan!" Called Naru.

"Uh...oh, no, that's not what I expected to happen..." Said the shrine maiden in disappointment.

Clark was relieved that nothing too serious had happened, but he quickly took notice of the shrine maiden's ability to detect negative energy. Not many humans have such a keen sense for the paranormal or otherworldly. There was obviously something unique in her. He wondered for a moment if she could be...just as he thought on it, Clark quickly put it in the back of his mind to focus on the situation at hand.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Clark asked as he ran over towards the scene.

Naru, Ami, and Luna recognized him in an instant.

"Ah! Kent-san!" Ami called.

However, the shrine maiden's eyes quickly lit up once she caught sight of him from afar. Her heart beat went racing as her cheeks turned a scarlet red. She could barely keep back a goofy grin on her face and had to cover it with her hand.

" _Oh my god, it's him…!"_ She squealed in her thoughts. _"It's the hunky nerd guy who passes by here! I-I can't believe he's actually here! H-He's running towards me! What do I do? What should I say?-!"_

As Clark approached, he only just now noticed the short, bald old man who was quick to approach Clark instead. The shrine maiden's smile immediately dropped.

"Oh! It appears we have another guest! It's so nice to see _this_ many new faces visit our famous shrine! Are you here for a good luck charms?"

"Um, no, I—"

"—Or perhaps you are here to say a few prayers and donate a little bit of change, Hmmm~?"

"Again, that's not what I'm—"

"—Or maybe you'd be so kind as to take my dear and lovely granddaughter, Rei's hand in mar—"

Before the old man could finish a word, he was met with a harsh blow to the back of the head by the miko shrine maiden.

"Okay, Grandpa, I think you've said quite enough!" She growled before putting on a softer smile towards Clark. "I-I'm sorry about him. I hope he hasn't bothered you, sir!"

"No, it's quite alright…" Clark said with a nervous smile. "But I just happened to hear the commotion and wanted to see the trouble."

"O-Oh, no trouble here!" She said nervously. "E-Everything's just fine!"

One look at the knocked out Usagi told him otherwise. "Well, at least let me help you put her somewhere that _isn't_ on the ground."

* * *

The girls and Clark found themselves within one of the empty shrine rooms, where they placed Usagi in one of the futons to rest up. Clark was able to fetch some water, while her friends sat by her side. Clark took the time to look around the room; it carried that old Japanese aesthetic to a point. There were still remnants of technology around like outlets and a telephone.

"Will she be alright?" Naru asked.

"Oh, um, yeah, she'll be fine..." The maiden said but was unsure herself.

Ami took a close seat next to Clark to whisper; "Hey, is she _really_ alright?"

Clark took it upon himself to bring his glasses down a bit and use his X-ray vision to check her vitals for any abnormalities.

"She's fine." Clark whispered back. "Everything seems to check out with no real injuries, except a bruise to the back of her head."

Ami took a breath of relief. "That's good."

"Um, what're you two whispering about?" Naru asked suspiciously.

Immediately the two reacted in a similar fashion by scooting a few more inches away from each other like nothing happened.

"Um, n-nothing…!" Ami sprouted out. "I-I was just saying how fortunate it was that Kent-san showed up when he did."

"Oh. Well, that _is_ true…" Naru accepted. "You _do_ always seem to appear when something weird goes down."

"Do I? Heh, I guess it's the Metropolis in me." Clark smiled. "We just have a knack for attracting the strange."

"Wait, you're from Metropolis?-!" All eyes were on the shrine maiden, who shot up the moment she heard the word _Metropolis._ She was right in Clark's face with the biggest smile he'd ever seen.

"Um…y-yes, I am…" He replied nervously.

"T-That means you know _him_ , right?-!" She squealed excitedly. "You know that hunk, Superman!"

"Huh?-! A hunk! Where?-! Where?-!"

Everyone was caught off guard by Usagi, who suddenly sprang up the moment the word _hunk_ was uttered in her presence. She looked around for a trace of the good-looking guy, only to instead find a familiar face once again.

"Oh, it's just _you_ , Kent-san…" She said in disappointment. "I thought there was an actual cute guy here…Oh! N-Not to say that _you're_ not good looking or anything! Heh heh heh heh!"

"Yes, nice to see you're awake, Usagi…" Clark said.

Everyone's attention was brought back to the shrine maiden once she cleared her throat.

"Anyway, I apologize for earlier with the whole exorcizing thing, Usagi-san…" She said with a bow.

"O-Oh, yeah! No, it's no trouble at all!" Usagi said. "Trust me; I've been through worse than that."

"Even so, It's just that…well…unnatural occurrences have been going on here lately."

This certainly peeked Clark's interest as he leaned in. "What kind of things? Anything out of the ordinary?"

The maiden was a bit caught off guard by Clark's intense curiosity to these odd occurrences. She didn't really question why, but only wanted an excuse to have this older _"cutey"_ of a news reporter come up to the shrine more often.

"U-Um, well, I mean my six sense and prophesies use to be all spot on, but now..." She trailed off and turned her gaze the more she stared into Clark's blue eyes through his glasses. She wished her cheeks would cool down but soon her face slowly became beat red.

Clark on the other hand was more curious about those so-called ' _prophesies_ ' she spoke about. There really _was_ more to this girl then she lets on. He just so happened to eye Luna, and she too seemed to have taken note of this shrine maiden's use of prophecies. Clark wondered if _this_ was what she told him about a few days ago.

* * *

 ** _A FEW DAYS AGO_**

"The Silver Millennium?"

"Yes." Luna replied. "That is the center of all that is transpiring here in Juban."

Clark knew he was in for quite the discussion about this Silver Millennium, so he decided to fetch himself a beer (non-alcoholic of course) while making Luna a bowl of warm milk. Since they were on the fourth floor of the apartment and it was night, Clark didn't need to worry too much if people saw him conversating with a cat.

"So…what can you tell me about it?" Clark asked.

"Not much, I'm afraid." Luna stated. "I still have a mission to uphold, and it requires I keep much of what I say under wraps for the time being. I can only tell you the basics."

"Well, where ever the limit is…" Clark figured, taking a sip of his beer.

"Very well…" Luna took a few sips of milk before she began.

"You see, long ago before you or even Krypton had begun to exist, there was a kingdom during a peaceful period that thrived off of its advancements in technology, and its Solar System. This was known as the Golden Age of the Silver Millennium; the kingdom of which I was born in."

"So, wait, that makes you…hundreds or even thousands of years old?" Clark figured. "Guess instead of nine lives, its 900 centuries for you."

"Something along those lines." Luna said as she stared up to the moon. "There were many wonders of the Moon Kingdom. During the last century of its existence, there was peace between the kingdom, and the other planets. Harmony was the kinetic energy that merged the worlds into one. Never had there been such a perfect utopia…"

In the mist of her reminiscing, Clark saw Luna's expression change into one of somberness.

"Let me guess; this is where the so-called ' _great ruler_ ' came into play?"

Luna felt herself clench up just thinking about those tragic events. Nonetheless she continued.

"The Dark Kingdom was the one that produced the negative influence upon mankind. It was them who caused humanity's uprising against the Moon Kingdom and its inhabitants…many lives were lost that day…including the queen of the Moon Kingdom herself…we lost everything…all because of the Dark Kingdom's jealousy…"

"I'm sorry to hear that…" Clark said.

"Don't be. It was many centuries ago…" Luna tried her best to drown her past in the milk to gulped down, before speaking with a little more hope in her voice. "…besides, what's important is that we find new guardians; ones who will continue the fight against the Dark Kingdom and help to find the Silver Crystal; the holy relic that can lead us to victory."

"Yeah, but…are you sure these girls will be able to do it?" Clark wondered. "This isn't a responsibility that should weigh on a couple of junior high school kids' shoulders. Trust me; I've seen such responsibilities be put on kids before, and it's never a good experience the first time around."

"Believe me; I don't like the idea of involving these girls into the fight, but I have no say." Luna confessed. "Whomever is chosen by the items will be granted the powers of a Sailor Scout."

Clark felt bad for the girls. They had no choice but to be tied down to this responsibility to save the world and risk their lives without a single word of their own. It reminded him of another poor child who had the responsibilities of six gods to protect the world. Sooner or later it would take a hefty toll on both Usagi and Ami, before they slowly dive into the pit of uncertainty. Perhaps it was in everyone's best interest that he not share anything of what Luna was saying to him. At best, he could only ensure he would still be alongside them every step of the way.

"Then I guess I don't have much of a choice either." Clark stated with a smile. "I'll just have to keep my eye on them and avoid trouble. Seems easy enough."

"You say that now but be warned." Luna said, "Other threats will present themselves to you, not just the Dark Kingdom."

"I think I can manage." Clark specified by taking off the glasses and tapping his chest. "Besides, how bad can it get?"

* * *

"You there!"

Clark's attention was brought back to reality, as he followed everyone else's eyes traveling to the door. Storming into the room came an angry, middle-aged woman with fist clenched. The woman's eyes darted right for the shrine maiden.

"Are you the owner of this shrine?-!" She demanded harshly.

"No, but who might you be?" The maiden asked in her calmest voice she could muster at the moment.

"A concerned mother, that's who!" She fussed. "My daughter came up to this shrine to buy one of your amulets and she _still_ hasn't come home!"

"Now hold on a minute—"

"I know your priest has a special prayer at 5:30! You're purposely sending people on that accursed bus that runs at 6pm!"

The scouts, Luna, and Clark immediately took note of the so-called accursed bus.

"Don't make such wild accusations!" The maiden shot back. "That ceremony has been going on for years, and the police have questioned us already about the buses!"

Before long, the maiden stood on her own two feet and stared her down right to her face, while towering over the older woman as if she were nothing but a child.

"You wanna file a missing persons' report, go to them! But don't you dare try to insult my grandfather's legacy. Now, get out!"

"Why I never!" The mother argued.

Clark could see this breaking off into a potential argument that would bring more trouble than prevent it. If he learned anything about women arguing from back home, it's that you never _ever_ pick a side, or try to stop them. This was a fight not even Superman could win. As such, Clark Kent would have to be the sacrifice this day.

"N-Now, now, ladies…!" Clark said cautiously. "Let's just calm down now…!"

The two heated women stared fiery daggers at Clark with an afterimage of hell fire consuming them from behind.

"Uh…I-I just, um…I figured…I'd get to know more about the, um, bus you were referring to, miss…!" Clark tried to say with a timid voice and a notebook out. "I-I happen to be a reporter for the Juban Daily Planet, so…maybe get a chance to be featured in our paper?"

And just like that, the moment she heard the words 'feature in', the mother's tune changed completely.

"O-Oh! Well in that case, how can I say no?" She said with a small smile on her face.

"Great. Come; let's talk more about this strange bus outside the shrine, shall we?" Clark's eyes darted towards the door for the mother to follow through.

At first Clark assumed she knew what he was doing and didn't want to leave without giving the rude shrine maiden another piece of her mind, but her expression changed again; this time, towards a look that was riddled with anxiety and sorrow. Clark would expect nothing less from someone who recently lost their child.

"Y-Yes, of course…" She nodded.

The mother quickly shuffled out of the room with Clark following right behind her. Before he went out of the room, he eyed Usagi and Ami in particular, and then shot his gaze to follow the woman. Ami and Luna quickly understood the motion and nodded, but Usagi was a bit confused.

"Well, Usagi-chan, I think it's time for us to go now!" Ami casually said. "We should get our homework done as soon as possible."

"Huh? But I _reeeally_ don't feel like it right now…" Usagi groaned.

"It's that kind of attitude that makes you fail most of everything you press your pencil onto." Naru commented.

"What?-! How rude!" Usagi exclaimed.

Ami wrapped her arm around Usagi's and lifted her up by herself. "Oh no, it seems you're still a little delirious from the fall! I guess I have no choice but to take you home myself!"

"Huh? What? But I'm f—"

"—uh uh uh! No excuses! A good mind deserves a proper environment to be productive in! Now let's hop on to it!" Ami said in a hurried tone as she practically dragged Usagi out of the futon and into the halls. "Thank you for the hospitality! Naru you can just head to that restaurant without us! Okay bye!"

Ami rushed out of the shrine with Usagi in tow and Luna following right behind. Neither Naru nor the maiden knew what that was all about, but something told them it had to do with Clark's absence and the strange case of the mystery bus.

"Um…are you're friends always that odd?" The maiden asked.

"Usagi is, at least…" Naru said.

Just as the maiden was about to say another word, she happen to notice something sitting right beside her. It looked like some sort of pen with a gold emblem on the top of it. The maiden picked it up and examined it to see it had something in the emblem; a small heart with an arrow at the end of it.

"Hmm? What's this?" She wondered. "Did those two drop it?"

Ami, Usagi, and Luna hurried down the long flight of stairs towards the sidewalk. All the way down there, they saw Clark wave goodbye to the mother as she walked away.

"Kent-san!" Usagi called.

Clark looked up to see the two girls and Luna quickly approach them. They both had to take a moment to catch their breath but were able to speak to him well enough.

"What did she say, huh?" Usagi asked. "Something about her missing daughter?"

"Yes." Clark said gravely. "Around 5:30pm, her daughter came up to this very shrine to get a good luck charm. Then around 6PM, her daughter called her and just told her goodbye, then hung up without another word. She hasn't heard from her for two days."

"W-Woah! That's pretty creepy…!" Usagi said with a shutter down her spine.

"Well, sadly she isn't the first." Clark confessed.

"What? There are more cases of these disappearances?" Ami questioned.

"A lot more." Clark explained. "The mother told me that there have been cases from other parents whose daughters have all gone missing around 6PM. The connecting thread of all these disappearances was a bus route they would take, and then that bus would drive off—never to be seen again."

"This bus route wouldn't happen to be Sendai-Zaka-ue, would it?" Luna asked suspiciously.

"Augh! Luna! What're you doing?-!" Usagi blurted out. "Y-You can't just talk like that in front of Kent-san!"

"Hmm? Oh, I don't mind it."

Usagi looked at Clark in shock. "Y-You don't?-!"

Clark shrugged his shoulders. "Superman has a flying dog. Nothing surprises us Metropolis folk anymore."

"O-Oh, of course..." Usagi said in relief.

"But to answer _Luna's_ question, yes, that's the one." Clark said, checking his notes.

"It's also where the five streets merge." Ami pointed out.

"I thought so." Luna concluded. "I've been feeling some bad vibes at that bus stop for a while now."

"It looks like the police have tried to keep this under wraps to prevent hysteria in the neighborhood; even away from Superman." Clark said. "The strange thing is that whenever an undercover officer is present, the supposed bus doesn't show. The police are stumped as to what actions to take."

"So…what does the Hikawa shrine have to do with this?" Usagi wondered.

"It's close to the bus route where the disappearances occur." Clark said, "Might be worth taking a look."

Usagi knew where this was headed, and immediately felt all the worst possible scenarios loom around in her head. If bad ideas were a snack, this would be the puffer fish to end all puffer fish. "U-Um…! Maybe we should reconsider going into this so quickly! Or at least wait to call Superman and see if _he_ would suggest such a crazy idea…!"

"What are you talking about? You're Sailor Moon! It's your destiny to save those in need!" Luna reminded her.

"Y-Yeah, but…!"

"Well, I certainly won't back down from this challenge!" Ami proclaimed. "Now that I'm a guardian, I need to be where the action is as much as possible if I'm going to help Luna find the missing Silver Crystal!"

"That's right, Ami! You're so admirable…unlike _someone_ I know…" the black cat side-eyed.

"Ha ha, funny." The blond pig-tails said sarcastically. "I _still_ think we should let Superman know."

"I wouldn't worry too much about that…" Clark assured her. "…He'll definitely be close."

* * *

The gang hurried over towards the supposed bus stop at Sendai-Zaka-Ue. Once they turned the corner, there at the bus route, they saw a gaggle of junior high school girls who were all waiting there without a sound coming from any of them.

"Wow, look at all those girls." Usagi pointed out. "They're all from different junior high schools."

"That's not all; look." Clark pointed towards what they all had in common. "They all have those shrine good luck charms on their bags."

"Hey, you're right." Ami agreed. "Do you think the bus has something to do with the shrine?"

"Nevermind that, do you think they all went to get those good luck charms to find their true love?" Usagi said, once again asking the _real_ questions.

"Um, I highly doubt that's the most important piece of this…" Clark said.

"Think about it, you guys; don't you wanna fall in love too?" Before they knew it, Usagi went into her goofy fantasy of daydreaming and starry eyes. "It sounds so wonderful~"

Clark couldn't help but humor her in thought; he didn't need to worry about some good luck charm to find _his_ true love. He knew she was back in Metropolis, probably jumping for joy at the fact that she no longer has to be in competition with her boyfriend on who gets to get the Pulitzer this year. Thinking on it now, he _did_ miss Lois, but he had to get the job done in Juban first—both in _and_ out of the suit.

Just before any of them were ready for it, suddenly they heard the sounds of a bus approaching the stop. It was revealed to be the infamous six O'clock bus that everyone was disappearing on. However, to the girls, and Clark, it looked no different from an ordinary neighborhood bus that could be seen anywhere. Clark knew too well that looks could certainly be decieving.

The bus pulled up at the route and opened its doors for the girls to enter. One by one, each student went into it without a second thought or hesitation.

The scouts and Clark waited at the bus stop with the girls as they were quickly approaching the door.

"Okay, here's the plan." Luna explained. "me, Ami, and Usagi will enter the bus. Clark, you…" She quickly eyed Usagi for a second before changing her words. "…you…try to contact Superman."

"Right." Clark nodded.

"Wait! We're going _on_ the bus?-!" Usagi said fearfully.

"We don't have a choice!" Ami said, "We have to find out more about it!"

"Y-Yeah, but—gyah!"

Before Usagi could protest any further, Ami, out of desperation, forcefully pushed her right into the bus. The blond ended up tripping on her feet and fell flat on her face. Ami was quick to follow her with Luna in her arms.

"Ami! What's the big idea?-!" Usagi exclaimed.

"S-Sorry…You just took too long to decide." Ami apologized.

"Yeah! Deciding the best way to say no!"

Usagi didn't even get a chance to protest any further. By the time she realized it, the doors to the bus had closed on all three of them and was just about to take off from its route. There was a low, and menacing hum that came from the engine; it sounded more like a growl from a large animal then an actual engine.

Usagi's blood went cold. She fell into a state of sheer panic as she slowly turned to see the bus driver—shady, creepy, and wearing a sinister grin underneath that hat. Yep, she wanted off without a second thought.

"What?-! No, no, no, no, no, no!" Usagi cried. "I don't wanna go, I don't wanna go! Please get me off! Please, please, please, please, please, please, plea—oof!"

"Will you pipe down, Usagi!" Luna exclaimed while jumping onto her head. "Look! The passengers!"

Both Usagi and Ami looked over towards the passenger's seats and were horrified to discover that an entire row of unconscious school girls—some lying in their seat while others just sprawled out on the ground—were present. It was like they all just got in and fell lost consciousness.

"Oh, no…!" Usagi exclaimed. "What kind of crazy bus is this?-!"

* * *

Outside of the bus, Clark saw it take off and was just about ready to follow it.

Just then, he noticed something…off; a strange sensation that was coming over him out of nowhere. He recognized it as the same feeling he had at the shrine earlier. Only this time, it was turned up to an eleven, and was harder to shake off. The madness didn't stop there. Rather than use the road like any normal bus would, this one instead took to the skies and slowly flew right into a strange distortion of, what appeared to be, a black portal that not only consumed the bus but the rest of the street ahead as well.

"This is definitely no Magic School Bus…" Clark muttered.

He looked around for a moment to see that the entire area around him was devoid of people; perfect chance as any to him.

Clark ran off towards the flying bus while removing his glasses and ripping away articles of clothing to reveal his uniform consisting of the blue suit, red cape, and big red 'S' on his chest.

Just as Superman was about to leap off of the ground and follow the bus in full stride, he felt something wrap around his foot from below him mid-take off. He turned around, and his eyes grew as wide as they possibly could.

"Well hello there, Superman~" The shrine maiden said with a smile and wink. "I suppose now's a bad time to ask for an autograph, huh?"

Before Superman could say anything, he found himself flying right into the spiraling black portal with the shrine maiden towing right behind him.

* * *

Just as quickly as they departed, the two Sailor scouts in disguise were immediately thrown out of the strange bus and fell onto the ground like luggage. Ami and Luna were more than able to regain their right minds. However…

"Ow! Where am I noooow?-!" Usagi cried. "What's going on?-! Where's Kent-san?-! Why did you push me onto the bus?-! Where is everybo—"

Her constant babbling was silenced by Luna leaping onto the back of her head and making her arch forward.

"Will you shut it for a moment and take a look around?-!" the black cat yelled.

Usagi wiped her tears and finally took her surroundings into perspective. What she found was that she, Luna, and Ami were no longer on the intersection anymore. In fact, they were no longer on Earth anymore. They were now in some strange realm of dark blue, cloudless skies surrounding them, along with a marble ground as far as the eyes could see. What struck her the most were the strange green orbs floating in the skies like stars.

"H-Hey, what _is_ this place?" Usagi said with a quivering voice. "I don't like this at all…"

"I'm not sure…" Ami pondered. "It could be possible that we've traveled through a black hole. Then again, a 4th dimensional rift is the more likely case. Though a tear in the magnetic field brings a whole new quandary to this difficult theory. One things for certain—we're _definitely_ not in Juban anymore."

"Gee, ya think?-!" Usagi exclaimed.

"Hold on, since we were able to come through safe n sound, what about Superman?" Ami wondered. "I hope he's okay…"

 ** _"It's not Superman you should be worried about."_**

All three looked behind them to see the same creepy bus driver suddenly leap out of the bus, and land right in front of them. It removed the distorted image of its human disguise to reveal the monster it truly was. It was a tall, slender humanoid creature with dirty green skin, and long scraggly red hair. It wore black armor across its body and long claws on its gloves.

"Another monster!" Ami said, "So _your_ responsible for the missing students!"

 ** _"I am."_** The monster growled. **_"All is for the sake of reviving the Great Ruler from her eternal slumber."_**

"*sniff* W-Well we won't let you…!" Usagi proclaimed, wiping the tears and snot away. "We won't let you get away with it! Using young girls love as a tool for your twisted gain will not be tolerated!"

"Same here!" Ami proclaimed as well. "I won't stand by and let you use such a magnificent discovery of interdimensional wormholes as a tool to kidnap the innocent! You're going down!"

Both Ami and Usagi lifted their hands in the air, before their bodies were submerged in both ribbons and (in Ami's case) bubbles. On the outside, it only took them about three seconds before they had appeared again in their Sailor Scout uniforms and became Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury

"I am the champion of Justice! The guardian who fights for love and peace! I am Sailor Moon! And in the name of the moon, I will punish you!" Sailor Moon proclaimed.

"I am the protector of Mercury, The guardian who brings wisdom and patience! I am Sailor Mercury! Douse yourself in water, and repent!" Sailor Mercury also proclaimed.

 ** _"Heh! It doesn't matter who you are!"_** The youma roared as it rose its claws. **_"Either way you will both suffer here!"_**

* * *

Meanwhile, in another part of the plain of floating orbs, out of a black wormhole came the other two who had entered; the boy in blue himself, and the shrine maiden who followed. Both landed on their feet, though a bit shaken up as they did.

"Ow! Well that could've gone a little better…" The maiden said as she massaged her foot from the hard landing.

"Are you alright?" Superman asked.

"Y-Yeah…I think." The shrine maiden groaned while rubbing her head.

Superman helped her up as they both took in the situation and location they were in. The area surrounding them were in a realm of sheer purple with floating orbs that were filled with buses all around them.

"What is this place…?" The maiden said fearfully. "Some kind of…other world…?"

"Not quite." Superman replied.

He took off into the air towards one of the closest buses to the ground. The maiden couldn't help but stare at the marvel that was this flying man who did it with ease. She'd seen videos on the internet and social media of him flying, but she never thought she'd see him do it firsthand.

Superman investigated the orb to find none of the buses were filled with unconscious school girls. They were completely empty. Superman assumed these buses were for other students.

"All of these buses are empty." He called out. "None of the missing girls are in them."

"You mean the ones who've been disappearing near my shrine?" The maiden figured.

Superman slowly descended back towards the ground and in front of the maiden. She was a bit taken aback by him appearing right before her as if he didn't just fly back to the ground. Her heart skipped a beat once he touched ground, looking down at her with those smoldering blue eyes and that boisterous physique. Her entire face became a beat red the more she scoped the man in blue from head to toe. She was so mesmerized and practically starstruck, that the maiden didn't even hear what he had just asked her.

"Um…miss?" Superman asked.

"H-Huh? What?" The maiden replied bashfully.

"I asked what your name was?" Superman repeated.

"O-Oh, it's Rei. Rei Hino." Rei introduced with a bow.

"Okay, Rei. I'd like to ask you some questions."

"Oookay…?" Rei was startled by the stern voice that came out of him.

"First, did you happen to…see me running towards the bus?"

Rei thought that was a strange question to ask, but answered; "Uh, no. I turned the corner into whatever strange realm I ended up in, and saw you flying up to the bus."

Superman breathed a sigh of relief. His secret identity hadn't been discovered. "Okay, Next question; the good luck charms from your shrine; you wouldn't happen to have done something to them, would you?"

Rei was appalled that even Superman would believe the rumors of her shrine being responsible for the missing girls, but then again, it wasn't too out there to assume _something_ was amiss. It only made the guilt welling up inside her grow.

"I didn't...I _swear_ , I didn't!" Rei pleaded. "The good luck charms have always been prepared by me, and me alone! I haven't done anything new to them except...wait."

"What?"

Rei paced around for a moment whilst gathering her thoughts together. "That's right...I had bought a new set of pouches that came in from a new shipment. I thought it'd be less time consuming to just purchase them from a factory who makes them. Grandpa was furious about it, but he came around...sort of."

"Do you know what the company that makes them is called?" Superman asked.

"Um...I don't quite remember the company name too well." Rei said, "I just remembered it being from America…Laytner…Lucas…Lurren…"

Superman's brows furrowed. He didn't even need to hear the name to know exactly who it could've been.

"Luthor." Superman corrected.

"Yeah, that's it! How'd you—"

At the snap of what felt like a second, Rei was cut off by the sound of a gust of wind rushing right past her face. She had to take a moment to fathom what had just happened at the blink of an eye, but quickly came two at the sound of a hard crash into one of the floating buses in the distance. She looked over toward her right above and saw that the Man of Steel had been slammed into one of the buses like a rag doll.

Superman himself groaned painfully as he attempted to pry himself from said bus. However, something clamped around his thick neck and put a tight squeeze around it that had him gasped for air. He opened his eyes to get a fuzzy image slowly begin to return stability. What he finally saw was definitely an eye opener.

It revealed to be a humanoid robotic being with extra padded silver armor but could barely reach Superman in height. Even so, one thing that Clark saw immediately was the only shred of humanity this thing had on its face; purely human and a man in his late 40's with glowing green eyes.

"Well, well, if it isn't my old pal, Superman. How ya been, buddy?" The robot figure said with a synthetic voice. "Long way from home, aren't'cha?"

"Augh...! M-Me...tallo...!" Superman choked out.

"Aw, you do remember me." He said with a wicked grin. "Y'see, I figured you'd have forgotten about how you ripped my krptonite heart from my chest, and left me to die..." He brought Superman in close with cold, menacing eyes starring right into his. "Not...cool. But hey, that's alright. 'Cause I got me a _better_ one."

Metallo's chest opened wide, and from it released a concentrated ray of green light that completely enveloped Superman. The moment he felt its rays, he let out a harsh wail of agony, as his body felt like it was on fire. Every organ inside of him was burning a scorching red, while Superman himself was slowly losing himself to the pain.

"Superman!" Rei called from below.

Metallo looked down towards her with those same unnatural eyes. It was enough to put a chill down Rei's spine as she backed away a bit from the scene.

Metallo ignored her and looked back at the tortured man in blue. "Cute girl. Shame she'll have to be next when I'm done with ya."

"N-No...!" Superman struggled to break himself free by prying Metallo's hands off his neck but was still too weak even use his full strength.

"Oh, what? Ya want me to let go?" Metallo teased. "Well fine. Here ya go!"

Metallo then threw Superman over his head and sent him flying across the air, and right into the ground with a harsh landing that would've killed any normal man. For the Man of Steel however, he was barely able to pull himself back up again, before he was grabbed by the collars of his cape and kicked in the spine; once again sent tumbling across the floor and right into one of the buses already on ground level.

Rei watched in horror at _the_ Superman be reduced to such a damaged state. She wondered what was that green light that was coming out of metallo's chest, and why it was affecting Superman so badly. All she had to know was that it was bad news for her idol, and she wanted to do something about it.

She was just about to pull out one of her exorcist talismans, however she peered over towards Superman, who locked eyes with her.

Instead, he rose his hand to stop her.

She was confused by the gesture, but otherwise did as she was told...for now.

"Huh. I thought you'd put up more of a struggle." Metallo said, walking towards the weakened Superman, "What a disappointing reunion."

"Ugh...Metallo...what're you doing here?" Superman asked while using the bus for support to lift himself up.

"Oh, you already know the answer to that." The metal man replied. "The last time you and I went at it, _you_ ripped out my heart and threw me into a maximum-security cell. In _Gotham_ no less! You have no idea the many days I suffered in there; barely latching onto life without kryptonite to sustain me! It was torture every day and every night! It. Was. HELL!"

Once in front of him, Metallo grabbed Superman by the collar and lifted him up to his face. The kryptonite rock in his chest was practically piercing through Superman's chest. He could feel his strength leaving him and his body boiling like a raging fire. He couldn't contain his gagging or the blood seeping from his lips and down his chin.

"But then...One of Brainiac's boys gave me another shot—a second chance for a lil one-on-one time with you." Metallo gave him a slap across the face. "And what's even better is that now, I have enough kryptonite in my chest to keep me going for a good, long time. You, on the other hand, Judgin' by _your_ condition, well I'd say you're in for a harsh lesson in what it means to bleed."

Metallo delivered harsh punches to Superman's gut and face. Each punch felt like getting hit with an cinder block, while the kryptonite felt like scorching whiskey seeping throughout his body from head to toe.

Rei watched in horror; desperately wanting to do something. She had the means to be of assistance to Superman, yet he didn't want it when she offered. Was this some attempt at being a macho tough guy? Was that it? It had to be. And if that was the case, she certainly wasn't going to sit back like a helpless damsel.

Rei looked around in her sleeves for a talisman, but instead touched something else. She pulled out to find it was the pen that Usagi dropped. Rei examined it closely, before it suddenly began to glow a fiery aura of red that almost engulfed her hand.

"W-What is this...?-!" Rei gasped.

* * *

"Huh? That feeling..."

Luna's attention went towards the strange yet familiar sensation that originated from afar yet felt so close.

"Could it be...?" Luna wondered.

"Moon Tiara! Action!"

"Bubble Spray!"

Luna's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury sending their signature attacks towards the youma.

However, it only blocked the tiara attack with its right claw that glowed a menacing aura of white mist. While blocking the bubble blast with its left that glowed a dark blue aura. Once the attacks subsided, the youma slammed its claws towards the girls. They were able to narrowly escape the attack with its claws slashing across the ground.

 ** _"Hahahahahaha! Is this all the mighty Sailor Scouts who defeated my brethren capable of?-! Pathetic!"_** The youma gloated.

"Jeez, this thing's a nightmare!" Usagi complained. "Ami, can't you do that giant bubble thing to put it in?"

"I could if I had enough time, but you can barely hold your own against it to be a distraction." Ami said regrettably.

 **"AHAHAHAHAHA! Even if you _were_ successful in using your greatest attack, it would be meaningless!" **The creature said, pulling its claws out of the ground. It showed off the strange blades to show them radiating a white and blue aura **"I have seen and studied all of your attacks to apply protective magic to my claws that negates your abilities!"**

"You're kidding me!" Sailor moon exclaimed. "Now what do we do?"

"I don't know..." Sailor Mercury admitted. "Luna, any suggestions?"

Luna said nothing. Instead she was in deep thought. There was a chance that she was right and the feeling could've been the shrine maiden, however she could've been wrong and risk the lives of the Sailor Scouts. As it stood, she couldn't afford to think on it any longer.

"I think I know…" Luna proclaimed. "…Can you two fight that youma for another few minutes?"

"I can barely fight it for another second!" Usagi groaned.

"We'll do our best!" Ami said. "Come on, Usagi!"

"Ugh…I better be able to skip school tomorrow for this…" Usagi sighed.

The Sailor scouts continued to fight off the youma, while Luna ran off into the clearing. There, she closed her eyes and focused on her surroundings for the source of that strange energy she felt earlier. It felt so close, and yet…there had to be an explanation for this, she thought. It was so familiar to what she felt from Usagi and Ami. It was definitely the shrine maiden. Was she in the strange realm with them? Luna considered that the shrine maiden was in a separate reality from them. She hoped at least Superman was there with her.

Luna took a deep breath to synchronize her mind with the maidens'. If she really _was_ a Sailor scout, then she should be able to reach the maiden's mind. She focused; visualizing complete darkness that seemed endless…then she saw it. The small burning flame that grew brighter and brighter the closer she approached it.

 _"Shrine maiden! Shrine maiden, can you hear me?"_

Suddenly, Rei could hear the echoing sounds of a faint voice calling out to her. She could swear it was speaking in stereo, yet she didn't see anybody around. She was too distracted by the brutal pumbling Superman was taking from that Metallo guy. She was horrified to see the Man of Steel being held by his cape like a noose, as Metallo continued to smack him across his cheek.

"Um, can you hear me?-!" Rei called.

 _"Yes, I can—"_

"Listen! I need your help!" Rei called frantically. "Superman's in danger! I-I found this glowing pen, and now I don't know what to do with it!"

 _"So I was right…O-Okay! Listen to me very carefully, shrine maiden! I need you to hold out that pen and say Mars Power! Make up!"_

"What? What good will that do?-!" Rei questioned. However, one look at Superman being thrown across the ground was heart wrenching enough. Now Metallo stood over him with those Kryptonite rays weakening him to the point of his body becoming skin and bones. Rei couldn't bare to see such a sight anymore.

"Okay! I'll do it!" Rei proclaimed. " _Mars Power! Make up!_ "

Within seconds the pen ignited into a whirlwind of flames that ingulfed Rei's entire body. The flames spun along with her, as it formed onto her body and materialized into her Sailor Scout uniform; it was similar to both Sailor Moon and Mercury, however hers was unique. She instead wore hot red heels, with a red skirt, a purple bow, and a red collar. Her tiara was similar to the other scouts as well, but with a red jewel in the middle, along with her ear rings being red stars.

"W-Whoa! What is this?-!" She said eying her new outfit. "Why am I wearing heels?"

 _"You've become the next Sailor Guardian;_ _Sailor Mars! Guardian of fire!"_

"Guardian…of fire?" Rei said, still confused. "S-So, what do I do?"

 _"What's going on there? Who is Superman fighting?"_

Rei looked back at the scene at hand, and saw Metallo throw Superman her way, and the kryptonite using villain walking right towards them. She could now see that big green rock coming right towards her, with Superman sprawling on the ground.

"I-It's some guy with a green rock in his chest…!" Rei said. "It's hurting Superman; making him weak!"

 _"Kryptonite! Listen, shrine maiden, if you want to help Superman, use your attack called 'Fire Soul' the enemy's chest! Then use it again in the air to heal Superman!"_

"Um…! Okay, I'll give it a shot!" Rei nodded. _"Fire Soul!"_

Sailor Mars lifted her hands in the air and formed them into a gun gesture. She concentrated all her physical energy into a single point in her fingers, before a small flame appeared at the tip of them. The concentration led her to imagining the flames burning as bright as the sun as a spiral of fire had shot out towards the approaching Metallo.

As Metallo was distracted with the Man of Steel at his weakest, he failed to notice in time that the area had begun to grow hotter, and brighter. Once he did, it was too late. He looked up to see a burst of flames form into a ball of zipping fire, that slammed right into his chest and send him right onto the ground. He howled an agonizing roar that echoed within the barren world.

"AUGH! What'd you do to me, witch?-!" Metallo cried out in anger.

"Hopefully something good!" She said. She looked down at Superman, who was struggling to get back on his feet, while spitting out blood, and sustaining visible bruises all over his face and body. "Hang on, Superman! _Fire Soul!_ "

Rei did as before and shot another fiery blast right into the sky. By itself, the fireball formed into a floating sphere of pure energy that could rival that of a yellow sun. It shined its nourishing light directly onto the weakened Superman, who generously took in what it had to offer him with his eyes closed.

Superman could feel the sun's energy flow through his entire body, as he lifted off the ground, and ascended into the light. It rejuvenated his muscles, relinquish the pain going through his chest, and heal whatever physical wounds had riddled his face and body. The very color returned to his face and suit, with no single sign of wear and tear. His skin was cleared, his mind at ease, and his life brought back to the surface.

The bright light had finally dissipated out of the sky, and the Man of Steel had opened his eyes once more; glowing their almost blinding red aura towards the damaged Metallo.

"No…! No!" Metallo yelled. He took a good look at his melted chest, to find that the kryptonite had been burned a sunder and was now just a charcoaled stone that emitted absolutely no green light whatsoever. "M-My kryptonite…! You'll pay for that you—"

Metallo didn't even get the chance to finish that sentence, before Superman delivered a powerful punch to the jaw, and sent flying across the ground like a rag doll.

Metallo was more than able to recover his footing once again, but that only left him wide open to be charged at by the Man of Steel, who then gave him one tight fist into the gut, with another one to his face that sent him high into the air. Superman flew after him to grab him by the legs and hurl him back towards the ground. And finally, to finish the job, the Man of Steel flew into Metallo's descending body, and crashed towards the ground for a fatal landing that made a loud blast.

When the smoke cleared, and Rei could see again, she witnessed Superman standing within the crater, while Metallo was sprawled out on the ground; barely with enough strength to get back up again. Superman lifted the defeated Metallo by his shoulder into the air and ripped the charcoaled kryptonite from his chest.

"No! You bast-a-a-a-!" Metallo yelled with a glitchy voice. His body began to twitch and short circuit. "I-I'll kill you for thi-i-i-i-i-s! I s-s-s-swear it-t-t!"

"Certainly not today, Metallo…or should I say Metallo #27."

"27…?" Rei said in confusion. "There's more than one?"

"It's one of many clones that were made…by Brainiac." Superman said gravely. "The real one's currently held in a maximum-security cell in Metropolis. This one's programming and memory bank has been tampered with. Not that it matters." He brought the twitching clone closer to him. "Where's Brainiac?"

"Heh! L-L-Like I'd t-t-t-tell you-u-u-u!" Metallo #27 growled with a glitchy voice. "S-S-Soon, you'll s-see just how out of yo-o-our league you r-r-really are…! You're n-n-not just fightin' Brainac! You're f-f-f-fightin' a force b-b-eyond even you! You might be able t-t-to beat Brainiac…but h-h-how're you gonna t-t-t-take on a whole f-f-force of the u-u-u-u-universe?-!"

The robot humanoid let out a glitchy laugh, before it finally succumbed to its own short circuiting, and its eyes rolled into the back of its head. Finally, it fell quiet...quiet with that frozen, laughing face.

Rei was horrified at the sight of it; the dangling, limp body, and the lifeless eyes with that creepy, frozen smile. Superman saw this reaction, and quickly put him down.

"Sorry..." He said. "Are you alright, Ms. Rei?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm okay..." Rei assured him.

Almost suddenly, the world around the two of them had begun to slowly melt away. The surrounding had been submerged in a neon green color that slowly enveloped everything from the ground to the buses above them. They could feel heavy vibrating from under their feet, almost as if the realm was falling apart. Rei looked behind her to see the ground slowly melting away into a dark void below that lead to nothingness. She quickly ran to Superman and wrapped her trembling arms around his for comfort but was still frightened regardless.

"W-What's happening?-!" Rei cried.

"I would assume Metallo was the nucleus that held this place together." Superman guessed. "Now that he's been defeated, the entire realm is falling apart."

Superman noticed the floor give way to the dark void and quickly held Rei in his arms to lift off into the air. He flew through the floating buses that were all beginning to fall from the air and into the void below.

"U-Um…Hey, voice lady?" Rei called out towards nothing. "Now would _really_ be a good time to help us out!"

 _"Don't worry. I've found your location. I'm opening a rift into our dimension! You should look out for a portal!"_

Rei looked all around for a sign of whatever the voice was talking about, until she happened to see in the corner of her eye an opening in the space beside her and Superman slowly forming into a glowing sphere. It was certainly bright enough to get Superman's attention.

"What is that?" Superman wondered.

"Our way outta here!" Rei confirmed.

* * *

On the other side of the realm, Sailor Moon and Mercury were having less luck, as their enemy Youma had gained the upper hand on them by predicting all their known abilities. Soon, the two scouts were out of ideas for how to defeat this new theat. Usagi had been brought to her knees in exhaustion from dodging the Youma's attacks, while Mercury could barely keep from falling to the herself.

 ** _"Heh, isn't it about time we put an end to this game?"_** The youma grinned, **_"I'm starting to get bored."_**

"Uuuugh, it's no use! I can't go on like this!" Usagi complained. "Can't this creepy looking thing just go away already?-!"

"We have to keep trying!" Ami stated in exhaustion. "Surely there must be something we haven't tried yet…!"

Usagi wracked her brain thinking of something to do, but all she could come up with was how she was never going to be able to go home ever again. How she'd end up missing her favorite shows, while eating her favorite snacks. She recalled her possible last memory of her own special combo of cake with little cookie crumbs on it. It was the perfect combination after a long day of boring school that she looked forward to every—

"Wait…Wait, that might…" Suddenly, a thought had appeared into her blond pig-tailed head that put a big grin on her face. "I got it! Sailor Mercury, we need to come _together_ on this one! You'll need to be the cookie crumbs to my cake."

"Usagi, what in the world are you—" Ami only needed a moment before she caught on to what Usagi tried to imply and quickly nodded. "I understand! Let's do it!"

Sailor Moon once again removed her magic tiara from her forehead and lifting it into the air. It glowed its heavenly light within the palm of her hands as she prepared to throws it like a Frisbee towards the youma, while shouting; "Moon Tiara! Action!"

The burst of light was sent spiraling towards the creature as usual. This was no surprise to the Youma, as it rose its claw up to protect itself.

 ** _"Foolish girl! I've already seen this one—"_**

" _Bubble Spray_!"

The Youma was caught off guard by Sailor Mercury's own attack coming as well. The blue scout released a burst of water from her hands. However, rather than come at the Youma itself, the water instead surrounded the Moon Tiara like a force field.

"Now freeze!"

On Ami's command, the water surrounding the tiara had solidified into a block of ice that formed a sharp blade pointed right towards the Youma. With the combined powers put into one, this spear-like tiara had picked up momentum as it spiraled in the air towards the Youma, with a dangerous force behind it. The Youma knew it couldn't defend against something coming at it with that much speed.

Instead, the monster dodged the incoming attack by an inch and watched it soar away into the distance.

 ** _"HA! Missed me!"_** It gloated.

"You sure about that?" Sailor Moon grinned with arms crossed. "Sailor Mercury, if you wouldn't mind~"

The monster's grin quickly faded once its eyes settled onto the blue Sailor scout. She had her hands in a motion that made it appear as if she were controlling something. By the time the Youma had connected the dots, it was too late. Once the youma looked back, it saw the blaring light of the Moon Tiara Ice blade come right back at it like a boomerang. Upon contact with the youma, the tiara exploded from the ice, and released its harnessed light onto the creature.

The very power of the blast was enough to completely shatter the Youma's claws into glass that fell into pieces on the ground.

"Nice one, you two!" Luna cheered.

 ** _"No…! My claws!"_** The demon yelled in a panic. **_"This cannot be…!"_**

"Too bad~" Sailor Moon said as her tiara returned to her forehead. "This is where you except your defeat, creepy monster guy…or girl…or…whatever you are!"

The Youma growled an animalistic noise. **_"You think that's all I got?-!"_** It roared. **_"So what if you broke my claws! I still have enough strength to rip you two apart!"_**

The Youma came charging at the girls like a wild animal on all fours with eyes seeing red. The two Sailor Scouts were about to prepare themselves to dodge his obvious lunge, when out of nowhere, it stopped.

Two small pillars of pure red energy shot through a strange distortion of the ground before them. The heat was so intense that it practically melted the ground into a small pool of magma before the two pillars of energy grew into one larger concentrated blast of red light. Finally, the sheer raw power had ignited into a blast the burst through the ground and created a hole in the very fabric of the realm.

From it appeared something floating to the surface. Once the smoke cleared, there appeared the Man of Steel himself; facing the frightened Youma.

"Superman!" Sailor Moon called out to. "Glad to see you're…O…kay?"

Sailor Moon's words faded once Superman turned to face her and Sailor Mercury. In his arms—being carried bridal style—was a young girl about their age with long flowing black hair, and wearing a similar Scouts uniform as them but in red. She had been too distracted with a tender stare and rosy cheeks to notice the other Sailor Scouts.

"Wait! Is that…?" Ami began.

"It is! The shrine maiden!" Sailor Moon finished in equal shock. "She was a Sailor Scout too?"

"Guardian of fire; Sailor Mars." Luna introduced.

Finally, Rei noticed the other two girls, and couldn't hold back a small chuckle. "W-Wow…I knew the outfits were a little ridiculous, but…wow…!"

"H-Hey, like you can talk! You're wearing the same thing!" Usagi huffed.

"True, but there's a big difference between yours and mind…" Rei said as she leaped from Superman's arms. She showed off by brushing her long hair back and standing in a pose that obviously showed off what she deemed her good side. "I make this uniform look good~"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Usagi argued. "I look good in this too! Tell her, Ami!"

"U-Um, well I, uh…" Ami tried her best not to get involved.

"Ha! Guess that settles it, no?" Rei bragged.

"Ugh! And to think, I thought you were a nice shrine maiden, but I guess I was wrong!" Usagi exclaimed.

"Excuse me, but I'll have you know I'm one of the best shrine maidens you'll ever meet!" Rei argued back. "It's a lot better then being a…! a…! a meatball head!"

Ami, Luna, and Superman cringed once the 'M' word was brought up.

A long-winded gasp escaped Usagi's lips. "How _dare_ you!"

"Will you two stop arguing and focus on the Youma!" Luna exclaimed.

"W-Wait…" Rei noted. "You're that voice! I-I was talking to a—"

 ** _"AAAAGUH!-!"_**

A loud roar had shot from the gaping sharp-toothed mouth of the Youma, who had run towards the girls like a wild animal ready to pounce. However, it was blocked by Superman, who quickly stood in front of it. The Youma reacted by balling its long, steel-like fist, and sending them into the man in blue's face.

Instead, all the Youma did was hurt its own fist, as they barely made Superman's head turn an inch. With one final punch, Superman didn't attempt to let the Youma even move him. Instead, he became an immovable object and let the demon shatter every bone in his hand and wrist.

The creature screamed in agony and backed away from Superman to clutch its broken hand.

"Huh. So _that's_ why he's nicknamed _Man of Steel_." Rei noticed.

 ** _"How?-! The Kryptonite should've weakened you…!"_** The Youma growled.

"I had a little help with that." Superman said, eying the newest Sailor Scout who joined Superman's side. "Care to show 'em, Ms. Mars?"

Rei smirked. "With pleasure~"

Once again, Sailor Mars had clasped her hands together to form a burst of concentrated fire that formed into a spiral. The flames surrounded her body before being sent towards the Youma like a tornado of fire. " _Fire Soul!_ "

The flames had completely engulfed the Youma within a matter of seconds. Because this was a completely new attack, it had no way of defending itself; leaving it to burn. It's hellish cried of pain had echoed throughout the realm as the fire tornado spiraled towards the sky less world above. The cries from the Youma slowly faded into nothingness, and the fire along with it. And just like that, the Youma was nothing more but dust in the preverbal wind.

"Whoa! That's new!" Sailor Moon said in amazement.

"Yeah, no kidding…" Ami agreed.

Meanwhile, Rei could feel the energy leave her body and her legs began to give out. Luckly, she was caught in the strong arms of the red-caped hero just in time.

"Nice work, Rei." Superman smiled.

The red Sailor Scout's face matched her red skirt. She could no longer keep giddiness contained and immediately jumped out of Superman's arms to turned away from him while squealing to herself. This, of course, was nothing new for the Kryptonian as he's had many girls do this in his presence. He never considered himself anything too special but did feel a bit bashful that someone would think of him in such a way. Hell, he _still_ gets a little red in the face when Lois admires him.

"Oh brother…" Usagi sighed. "I guess some girls just fall in love far too easily."

Suddenly, above them they could hear, what sounded like, a bus's horn from above. They all looked up to see the buses were now flying across the sky like blimps; all tied together to form one long line. They all seemed to have been headed for a dark shroud of a portal that had slowly been getting small by the minute.

But what really got their attention was the one driving them all there. He peeked his head out of the driver's window and greeted the Sailor Scouts and Superhero with that mysterious white mask and black top hat.

"Well hello there." He called out. "Hop on."

"Kyaaaa~ Tuxedo Mask! You're here~" Usagi squealed.

"And you talked about _me_ being easy?" Rei muttered.

"Well, no sense in wasting a free ride." Superman stated.

"He's right, you three! That portal won't hold open for long!" Luna warned. "Let's get moving!"

"Right!" All three agreed.

* * *

In the dead of night, the black portal had opened itself up to the bus stop. From it appeared a total of about 10 buses that were all tied together. The buses then descended safely onto the ground, while the portal behind them closed and disappeared. The first bus's door opened, and out came an exhausted Usagi, Ami, and Rei. Meanwhile, Superman landed right beside the girls with Luna riding his shoulder.

"Ugh! I hope I never have to see another bus for one night…" Usagi groaned.

"I'm glad the girls are okay." Ami said graciously. "I'm surprised they didn't wake up during all that commotion."

"They're only knocked out. No signs of comatose or concussion." Superman assured them. "I'll be sure to take them all home once they wake up."

"That's a relief…" Rei said at first, but then she quickly got close to Superman and slipped right into her swooning mode. "But it was a good thing _you_ were there to save them! You really _are_ an amazing hero, Superman-san~"

"Um, thank you." Superman smiled. "But I don't deserve all the credit. You really saved me from Metallo and the kryptonite. Plus creating a miniature sun was genius. If anything, _you're_ the real hero."

"O-Oh, but I didn't—"

"Don't be so modest, Rei!" Luna interrupted. "You obviously knew Superman's strength was sunlight and that's why you did what you did, right?"

Luna gave a quick wink towards Sailor Mars.

"Uh, yeah, that's right!" Rei played along. "All me!"

"Heeey! What about us?-!" Sailor Moon complained as she pouted. "We did some of the heavy lifting too, Right, Ami…Ami?"

Usagi looked over to find Ami was all over Rei in astonishment.

"You mean to say that you have the ability to combine a protostar with hydrogen and helium that would be brought together by fusion to create your own sun?-! That's incredible!" Ami gushed. "Tell me; does this also allow you to conduct your own experiments to possibly produce your own form of elements?-!"

"Ummm…maybe?"

Sailor Moon was beginning to see how quickly everyone was warming up (no pun intended) to the newest member of the scouts. Hell, even Superman was impressed with her. She didn't want to admit it, but there was a wave of jealousy that had washed over her.

"Humph! Well at least I still have you on my side, right Tuxedo Mask…? Tuxedo Mask?"

Usagi looked over towards the first bus they all came out of, only to discover that it was empty.

Usagi quickly went teary-eyed before she cried out to the stars; "Oh, come on! Not you too!"


	4. Thunderstruck Dreams

**_Hey all you lovelies. Sorry it's taken so long to bring this to you all._**

 ** _So, I've listened a few things regarding Superman's abilities in this story. He's not so OP that he can handle everything since a lot of the monsters in this story DO use magic, but he can handle things enough that if it really gets bad for the Sailor Scouts, he could aid them._**

 ** _Short author note, I know, but I wanted to write that in._**

 ** _REMINDER: For anyone curious about what inspired this story, check out the artist's Tumblr, tiggersmoke and her cute picture of Superman and Sailor Moon._**

 ** _DISCLIAMER: I OWN NOTHING. Superman and Sailor Moon (and other characters) belong to their respected creators and NOT ME. Please support these characters and their official releases._**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 4: Thunderstruck Dreams_**

* * *

Deep within the bowels of the Dark Kingdom—hidden from even the rest of the legion of monsters, a lone Queen Beryl had curiously traveled through the dark corridors of her own kingdom in search of Brainiac. As she traveled further and further into its shadowy depths, she discovered the first sign of something…off.

It began with a single metal pipe that had entwined with the corroding back surface of the wall. From then on, she had begun to see more and more forms of metallic surface appear across the hall, until the rest of the path had been completely submerged in metal; metal that was imbedded with glowing purple fixtures that surged through glass-like pipes.

It all led to an opening into a strange room. It had been made of the same metallic material as the hall, only this time, it glowed an eerie shade of purple that put even the Queen of the Dark Kingdom on edge. Of course, she wasn't one to show such emotions under any circumstances.

She walked into the room and saw the single control panel that had been placed in the center of the room. It was black and had a handprint on it.

Curious as one would be at the discovery of such an edifice in their own home, Queen Beryl placed her hand on it. Immediately the entire panel illuminated another purple glow, and the sounds of electricity and industrial mechanics began to sound off all around her. The entire room trembled, with Queen Beryl barely able to keep herself steady. She had been confused and absolutely cautious of what would happen next.

Then, just as it all started, the rumbling and sounds stopped almost instantly. She looked around for anything that could've come as a result of all the ruckus, but saw nothing…that is, until she looked up.

There, she had come face-to-face with an array of small glass orbs that floated over her head. There were dozens of them; all of different shapes and sizes. Queen Beryl had no idea what to make of them and had almost had the good sense to acquire one of them for closer inspection.

"Fascinating, aren't they?"

Queen Beryl peered over her shoulder to the owner of the room. Judging from the way he stood against the wall with his hands behind his back, he had been there the entire time. That, or he morphed from the walls as he usually did.

"What are these orbs?" She questioned.

"They are my greatest collections." Brainiac explained. "The cumulation of centuries spent, in order to acquire a vast magnitude of knowledge. Each one carries the lives, environment, and cities of a planet."

Brainiac stepped off of the wall and approached Queen Beryl as he gazed at the orbs above.

"It is a conquest that I have taken great pride in achieving. In my possession, I hold the very concept of each planet's metaphysics, their societal info structure, and so much more. Nothing they will attempt to achieve will escape me. I have absolute reign over the small piece of their world now."

He reached up to them, and on command, one slowly descended down into his grasp. He held it closely; staring into the small city inside. Queen Beryl could tell how fascinated he was over that specific sphere.

"Do you know what _this one_ is?" Brainiac asked.

"Obviously not." Queen Beryl replied sharply.

"This orb contains the city known as Kandor." Brainiac explained. "The last remnants of the destroyed planet, Krypton."

"That was Superman's world." Queen Beryl recalled.

Brainiac nodded. He released the orb and slowly allowed it to rejoin the others above them.

"Did you know that on Kandor, a unique plant had grown on the outer land of the city." Brainiac said, "It was simply known as ' _The Black Mercy_ '—An infectious abomination, with the sole purpose of feeding on the weak minded for sustenance. Pathetic amphibians that should have perished with the rest of Krypton…but maybe they can serve a purpose to the resurrection of your Queen."

Queen Beryl's attention through his incessant ramblings produced an intriguing gem that was worth the inquiry. "I'm listening…"

"Retrieve your subordinate Nephrite." Brainiac ordered, to Beryl's chagrin. "I predict his excavation of energy will become bountiful."

* * *

A bright and sunny Sunday morning was ripe for the need of fun and excitement in the busy district of Juban. The youth would want something more than just shopping for stuff and hanging out at cafes. They need something that would allow them to have real fun that they could remember for years to come.

And what better way to ensure such great memories then to go to Juban's newest amusement park: Dreamland.

Dreamland had it all; rides, games, food, and all the excitement of a certain other theme park with a familiar cartoon mouse. Though not as large as that park, Dreamland was the next best thing when the budget didn't look so hot. It ensured fun, magic, and that colorful aesthetic that any family would be thrilled to attend.

It was the perfect way to spend the last day in Japan for vacation. Especially for such a large family as the one that were mesmerized by all the excitement.

"Wow! This place is gigantic!" Said a young girl; African American with her black hair in two puffy pig-tails. "You think we'll see a real princess here!"

"Highly unlikely." Said a young boy; Asian with black short hair and thick-rimmed glasses. "Princesses as you see them are more of a fictional character that only exist—"

"What he _means_ is that we'll find one if we believe hard enough." Said an older girl; Caucasian with dark brown long hair in a ponytail and a warm smile.

"A-And we'll, y'know, be able to ride all the cool rides too." Said another older boy; Hispanic with black short hair and a bit on the heavy-set side.

"Yay!" Cheered the little girl. "I wanna find the princess!"

"Now, now, we'll have all the time for that later." Said an older woman; short hair and a sweet personality. "We'll have to follow a list if we want to explore the entire area."

"Your mother's right, you all." Said an older man; particularly Asian and also on the heavier side with rugged features but a bright smile. "Do your best to stay with one another. Wouldn't want to get lost out here, okay?"

"Okay!" They all agreed.

The family continued on their merry way to enjoy the amusement park. However, two individuals were behind having a discussion of their own while they kept up with the rest of the family.

"Okay, okay, but how about this: Wonder Woman versus Harley Quinn?" Asked a boy in his early teen; black shaggy hair and on a single crutch.

"Dude, I've _seen_ that fight. Wonder Woman all the way." Replied another boy in his early teens; black short hair under a baseball cap. "Y'know, if you're gonna ask me these kinds of versus questions, you gotta do ones I wasn't actually a part of."

"Aaah but I can't help it! I've always wanted to see them!" Said the other boy. "It's not fair that you get to actually meet the Justice League anytime you want! Can't you at least tell me _one_ of their secret identities?"

"Naw, man, sorry. It's a strict JL code; can't give away secret identities." The boy smirked. "Plus, you'd be pretty disappointed if I told you."

"Ah-Ha! That means that they're posing as normal people, aren't they?-!" The crutch-wearing boy figured. "So, who's Batman, huh? He's gotta be some rich dude for him to have all that gear!" He then gasped. "Oh my god…Oh my god, I know who Batman is!"

"Really…?" The black-haired boy said unconvinced. "Do tell."

"Okay, here me out, man! Batman is…"

The black-haired boy eyed him with a hint of worry.

"…Bruce Wayne's roommate!"

A sigh of relief escaped, but the cap-wearing boy did his best to make it look like an exasperated sigh. "Sure, _that's_ who it is."

"Aaaw, come on, Billy!" The boy groaned. "Just tell me!"

"Sorry, Freddie. Lips are sealed." Billy said with a wink.

* * *

The first sip of the premium mango smoothies was the first time in quite some time that Clark Kent truly felt the joys of working in reporting.

It wasn't every day that Clark could have the chance to simply enjoy himself while he reports on the latest story for the Daily Planet. However, this was a welcomed exception to the usual workload. He was out of the office and under the sun of a beautiful Sunday morning at one of Juban's newest amusement parks: Dreamland. All he needed to do was report the strange happening occurring at the park, and afterwards he was free to enjoy the rest of the day.

Though the attractions did sound amusing, he didn't except the offer by his boss for the fun and games once he heard of what was really going on. It turned out that the strange occurrences came from over 50 individuals suddenly disappearing in the past week since it opened. Not even the smallest trace could be discovered. To Clark, it definitely reeked of the Dark Kingdom and Nephrite.

And what better way to start, then by heading straight into the big crowd of fellow reporters who were also waiting in the lobby of Dreamland's Management office.

Clark had to push his way through the reporters who discussed the strange occurrences with one another. He had learned to never go too into discussion with other reporters. You never know what they're actually trying to pry out of you to use for their own news sites.

Just as Clark appeared at the front of the crowd, a single security officer had appeared from the elevator on the other side of the room, and quickly approached the reporters. The moment they all saw him, it only took one of the reporters to yell for the officer's attention before the crowd erupted into a frenzy of questions and camera flashes.

Clark had almost expected to see Nephrite or another one of his monster minions in disguise as the spokesperson for the management. However, he was surprise to find that it was actually just a normal human being. He looked as nervous and frantic as could be but did his best at remaining calm and collected in the face of so many reporters.

"Alright, alright! Please listen!" He yelled out. It was loud enough to stop the barrage of questions and brought out the pen and papers to jot down everything. "Let me be clear in saying that I will only be allowed to answer three questions and that is all. I have received orders from the owner of the park to keep this brief. There is far too much that is needed out of me to insure the safety of the park."

The crowd of reporters once again exploded into an array of questions that filled the entire lobby. The security guard could barely pick out which one he wanted to ask since there had been so many of them.

However, he luckily came upon a single reporter who did not call out for answers. Instead, he simply stood there; poised and with a kind enough smile that made him hard to ignore. He simply raised his pen to get the guard's attention.

"You." He pointed out.

"Hello. Clark Kent of the Juban Daily Planet. You wouldn't happen to, or someone you know, work the nightshift, do you?" Clark asked. "If so, have you witnessed any strange sightings? Anything that seemed almost…unexplainable?"

The other reporters looked at Clark with confusion. Of all the important questions, why was that the first one? Despite this, the officer answered.

"To answer your question, yes, I _do_ work the nightshift here at Dreamland. However, I've not seen anything out of the ordinary during those hours. All is as quiet as can be."

Clark could see he had told the truth. His heartbeat was at a normal pace.

"Next question."

Once again, a roar of reporters' questions erupted again.

"You." He called towards one of the other reporters beside Clark. She introduced herself and proceeded to her question.

"There has been speculation that Dreamland is responsible for the disappearances that have occurred during the past week. Do you believe that one or a few of your fellow employees could be the culprit or _culprits_?"

"No. Our employees have been hand-picked based on their job qualifications and have been searched of any form of background history. Therefore, we believe that Dreamland had nothing to do with these unfortunate events."

"Maybe, but still!" One reporter yelled out loud. "Fifty of your visitors have gone missing so far! Surely that can't be a coincidence!"

"I assure you we have looked into it." He answered. "The number of people who entered the park is the same as the number who've left. None have gone missing here. That is all the questions I'm aloud to say."

Once again, the crowd became restless as they scrambled for more questions to ask. Clark knew a dead end when he saw one and took that opportunity to escape through the reporter wave that had formed.

Once he made it through, Clark proceeded out the sliding glass door and was outside to the rest of the park. He felt exhausted already as he adjusted his glasses. The little he could gather was barely enough to be considered front page worthy. Even so, he knew there was more happening then that security guard was going to let on. For the time being, he kept his eyes open for anything out of the ordinary.

"Ah! Kent-san!"

Clark heard the familiar voice of a young girl run up towards him. He looked to the side of him and saw that it was the three Sailor Scouts in their weekend attire. However, he had been bombarded by the newest member, Rei, who wasted no time in coming right into his face.

"K-Kent-san! I-It's so good to see you here!" She said in a chipper tone with the reddest cheeks. "Well, then again why _wouldn't_ you be here? You _are_ a reporter after all and this _is_ a new exciting amusement park!"

"W-Well, it's nice to see you three here, too." Clark said happily while putting some space between him and Rei. "I assume you three are here for the same reason as I am?"

"Uh! W-Well we're really here because we just wanted to see the fun rides!" Usagi said in an obvious scramble for an answer. "I hear this place has the best smoothies in town! Why would we be here about any weird stuff like missing people?-!"

Clark raised a brow with a subtle smirk. "I was here to write on how fun the amusement park is. I never said it was for the weird things happening around here."

"Y-You didn't? Ha ha ha, funny that, right?" She said nervously.

The other scouts and Luna sighed. Such was a habit when it came to their ' _fearless'_ leader.

"Anyway, it seems we're all here for the same reason as you are." Luna figured. "Investigating the strange disappearances of some of the citizens of the park."

"That's right." Clark nodded. "I just had an interview with the security chief who seemed just as puzzled about it as we are. He claims that Dreamland has nothing to do with the disappearances and that no one's gone missing at all."

"Well, that doesn't make sense. There's clear proof that people have disappeared." Ami persisted. "How could the number of grieving families be lying?"

"That's what I want to get to the bottom of." Clark said, "It would be a very compelling piece for my editorial: ' _The Secrets of Dreamland: Sandman's eutopia or Bogyman's poaching ground ?'_ Has a nice ring to it."

"Oh, I think it sounds amazing, Kent-san~" Rei said swooning. "You'd definitely make front page for sure!"

"Yes, well, I think we should first dig around and see if Dreamland is or isn't involved in the first place." Ami suggested.

"You're right." Clark agreed. "So far, what we know is that the same number of people who have gone missing are the same number that have entered. Do you think they disappeared on the way home?"

"Regardless, I find it strange that they all came _here_ to this park before going missing." Luna noted.

It _is_ weird…wait…" Ami realized. "…Guys, where's Usagi?"

The girls looked around for the blond girl but didn't see her anywhere around them. Immediately their hearts began to beat at the thought of one of their friends were already caught up in the strange disappearances.

"You don't have to worry about her." Clark assured them.

All three were confused, before Clark pointed towards something. Their gaze followed his finger, only for their worries to be replaced with irritation at the sight of where Usagi had ran off to.

Rather than join them on the case, she instead went off to ride the Merry-go-round with a big goofy grin on her face, and her jeering laughter echoing into their heads like a siren. While Clark found it almost amusingly adorable, the other scouts and especially Luna weren't as happy.

"Well…you gotta admire her optimism." Clark said.

* * *

"Alright, I got one; Aquaman versus The Flash."

"Flash."

"Green Lantern versus The Atom."

"Tough, but I'm gonna go with Green Lantern."

"Blue Beetle versus Black Canary."

"Ha! As if Blue B would _ever_ be stupid enough to try. Black Canary, no question."

"Okay, smart guy, I got a big one for ya." Freddy challenged. "Shazam versus Superman."

Billy had to think about that for a moment. He only agreed to these versus questions Freddie was throwing at him to pass the time while the whole family stood in the mother of all long lines for the biggest rollercoaster in the entire park. It practically stretched for hours. But because the youngest sister, Darla, wanted to ride, the others had no choice but to agree. Both Eugene and Pedro, the two brothers, were against it due to fear of loops in the ride, but Mary, the oldest daughter, triple-dog-dared them. Billy and Freddy were unfortunately part of the dare along with the foster parents.

"Hmmm, I wanna say the obvious since there's the magic n' all, buuut…" Billy racked his head around it. "…Superman's got the powers and the experience of being a superhero down packed…crap, man I dunno."

"Ha! I gotcha!" Freddy jeered. "Guess the great Billy Batson doesn't have all the answers! So much for the _Wisdom of Solomon_."

"Hey, cut me some slack; I've never fo—I mean _seen_ Shazam fight the Man of Steel." Billy said, making sure his family didn't hear him.

"Isn't it weird to be saying _Shazam_ like that?" Freddy wondered.

"Naaaw. As long as I don't call out to it or yell it, I'm good." Billy assured him. "But still, I would never wanna fight Superman. He's like, the greatest superhero ever!"

"Dude, I know! I would so love to meet him one day!" Freddy gushed. "You gotta get me his autograph the next time we head to Metropolis!"

"Depends if you let me skip you for the front seat." Billy smirked.

The two continued to have their fun while they waited in the agonizing line. However, unbeknownst to Billy, trouble was just about to rear its ugly head.

* * *

"Ugh! Honestly!" Luna scolded. "Just what were you thinking, Usagi?"

Usagi held her head down in shame as the three girls and black cat sat on one of the benches just behind the Ferris wheel, while Clark leaned against the brick wall behind said bench.

"Sorry…" Usagi pouted. "I just got a little carried away…"

"Now, now, it's no trouble to enjoy ourselves just a little bit." Clark said, "It _is_ an amusement park after all."

"Even so, this isn't a time for games." Rei said as she glared towards Usagi. "You're supposed to be a Sailor Scout. Act like it!"

The red Scout gave Usagi a hard slap on her back that pushed her right out of her chair and onto the ground. Naturally, Usagi wasn't too happy about this.

"Hey! Don't you lecture me!" She barked. "In the end, I always somehow get the job done, so butt…out?"

Just then, Usagi noticed that she was not alone. She felt something large and almost predatorial stand before her. In her absent-minded state she didn't begin to fathom just what it truly was. As her brain slowly began to connect the dots and start to work again, she realized that inches away from her face were the fanged teeth of a fully-grown lion; growling and all.

"AHH!" Usagi screamed as she jumped right behind the bench and cowered in absolute fear along with Ami, Luna, and Rei. Clark was the first to react by standing in the way of the lion to protect the girls if need be. It would've been a risk to reveal his identity to Rei and Usagi, but it was a risk he had to take.

However, what happened next took all of them by surprise.

"Welcome to Dreamland."

All five of them were taken aback by the words of a British male coming from none other than the Lion's mouth. Clark almost assumed that it was another guardian like Luna.

"It's alright. He won't bite."

Suddenly, the five were once again surprised by the arrival of another person. It was a young woman dressed in a princess-themed pink and blue dress with white long gloves. Her hair was long with curls, while her eyes were a mesmerizing shade of blue. On the top of her head was a glowing tiara, while in her gloved hand was a single ruby red apple.

"As you can guess, this lion is merely animatronic." The princess said with a soft and calming voice.

Usagi gasped in astonishment as stars filled her eyes. "I don't believe it! You're Princess Dreams!" She quickly leaped from behind the bench and practically pushed Clark out of the way. (much to Rei's chagrin) "I've always wanted to meet you! I'm such a fan~"

"W-Wait, you said _that's_ a machine?" Ami asked equally amazed as she too came from behind the bench.

"Yes. It's operated by remote control." The princess said. "As are all the animals in the park."

To demonstrate this fact, she placed her other hand over the apple and slowly hovered it over the glowing red orb. Everyone, but Usagi (still starstruck) noticed the odd way in which she controlled it. But just as she said, more animals began to approach them. Ranging from deer, to bears, boars, tigers, and even a family of rabbits. All had gathered around them with such life like appearances.

"Wooow~ This is amazing!" Usagi said in amazement.

While she was absolutely enamored by the cute animatronic animals, Ami and Rei huddled together in sharing the same idea.

"Something's not right about this…" Rei suspected.

"I agree, but I can't quite place it…" Ami wondered.

Meanwhile Luna leaped onto Clark's shoulder to whisper: "What do you think? Can you see anything otherworldly?"

"I don't." Clark answered.

"So, their okay?"

"No, I mean I don't see anything, because I _can't_." Clark made clear. "Their bodies, even the princess's costume…they're all lined with lead."

"Lead?" The black cat wondered.

"Unfortunately, Kryptonians can't see or hear through lead." Clark whispered back. "As far as I could tell, I thought they were just regular animals before this _Princess Dreams_ said otherwise."

"I see. But why would the princess and animatronic animals need to wear lead of all material?"

"That's just what _I_ wanna know."

"Ah yes, that's right I forgot to mention."

Everyone's attention went towards the princess again.

"In one hour, there will be a show at The House of Sweets. I hope you all can come watch." She smiled politely. "I have even heard that the amazing hero of Metropolis, Superman will be there."

"He will?-!" Both Rei and Usagi exclaimed excitedly.

"He will?" Both Ami and Luna said in confusion.

"H-He will?" Clark said equally confused.

* * *

"He—what?-!"

"Yeeeah, that's what I heard." Freddy answered.

This was news to Billy as he gulped down his slushie along with Freddie at the outdoor food court. Unfortunately, Freddy was in a sour mood due to him hearing from a passerby in a wheelchair that there would be no place to put the wheelchair without fear of it being stolen. This put Freddy on edge as he didn't want to risk losing his crutch and decided to bow out of the rollercoaster. It took a lot of convincing to the rest of the family to go on without him, but it worked after a few minutes of talking it out. Billy, not wanting to leave him all alone, decided to join Freddy as the two went to get something to eat.

But now, there was a new concern for them to discuss.

"I didn't even know Superman was here…" Billy said.

"You didn't?" Freddy said attentively. "I would've thought that'd be in some kind of Justice League newsletter."

"Or maybe they didn't think to tell _me_ about it because I'm _too young to participate in adult conversations,_ or something." Billy grumbled.

"Maybe…hey! Wanna go look for him?" Freddy suggested.

"What? No way." Billy answered. "The last thing I wanna do is get in Superman's spotlight. He might hate me, y'know."

"Dude, Batman gets in Superman's spotlight every friggin' day. What's one more boy scout, huh?" Freddy provoked.

"Please." Billy scoffed. "You just wanna see Superman in person."

"Uh, yeah I do!" Freddy nodded while getting in Billy's face. "So, come on! Please let's go find him! Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, pleeeeease?"

"Ugh! Alright!" Billy surrendered. "Jeez, we'll go find him! Just don't say I never do anything for you."

"I promise you all of my dessert for a week!" Freddy said graciously. "Now go find a bush or something and get into character!"

Billy sighed as he got up. "Yeah, yeah…"

Billy took off into the direction of the tallest trees and bushes that was out of obvious eyes. Once in the small meadow of trees and bushes, he made sure to look around for one more go before he almost decided to call out the magic word.

"Okay, here we go…Sh—hmm?"

Just then, Billy happened to look over towards his left and saw a very familiar blue suited, red cape wearing hero landing just behind the towering castle that looked like something out of Darla's picture books. Judging by the looks of him, he didn't seem to want to be seen by anyone. Of course, there was no way Billy would just let him go that easily.

"Mr. Superman! Mr. Superman!"

The Man of Steel winced at the sound of a young boy's voice. The last thing he needed was to be caught by a fan who wanted an autograph while an investigation was underway. Still, he couldn't just turn down someone who wanted to see him; especially the sound of a young child that just wanted to say hello.

He took a deep breath and put on his best smile towards the approaching lad. To his utter surprise it turned out to be the last person he would expect to see all the way out in Japan.

"B-Billy?-!" Superman said, "What're you doing here?"

"Vacation. Been planning it for months, but I should be asking _you_ that." Billy said back. "Why're _you_ all the way out here in Japan?"

He couldn't tell Billy about the disappearances. If the boy didn't know, it was for the better that he learned to enjoy his youth rather than continuously get involved with matters for the adults—magical powers or not.

"It's…complicated." Superman answered, "I've…pretty much been called by the people of Japan…to do a job. _Reporting_ job! Boring, and all that."

"Really?" Billy said skeptically. "Then why the Super suit, huh? I read the news, and you're a big thing here. And when did you start promoting for theme parks? Didn't you say the Justice League doesn't do advertising?"

"W-Well…apparently they sort of _forced_ it onto me." Superman said nervously. "Plus, I didn't want to disappoint the kids. And to answer the first question; crime isn't just a thing in America. Robbers and criminals need to be stopped here as well."

"Uh huh." Billy said with suspicion.

"Listen, I'm just here as Superman for a minor appearance and that's all. Trust me, there's nothing dangerous here that would require you to say your magic word."

Billy was ever the suspicious young boy. He looked Superman dead in his eyes for even the smallest hint of doubt. Superman stood his ground and did not waver. He fell for this trick once before with Billy Batson, and he promised to not fall for it again.

"Hmmm…alright." Billy shrugged. "But you gotta promise you'll give me something autographed for my brother, Freddy. Got it?"

"Yeah, definitely." Superman nodded. "See ya inside."

Billy smiled with a child-like innocence while he waved Superman off as he entered through the back doors. Once those doors closed, Billy's kid-like smile fell to one of mischievous intent.

"For a dude with a secret identity, you sure are an open book, Mr. Superman." Billy said to himself. "Something else is going on here…maybe Freddy knows something."

Billy ran back through the trees and jumped from out of them, back towards the food court with haste in his steps. He couldn't wait to see the look on Freddy's face when he told him that Superman was gonna autograph something for him. Knowing Freddy, Billy assumed he'd even settle for a cup being signed by the Man of Steel himself. He had just approached the food court and towards the table the two boys sat at.

"Freddy! Freddy! You won't believe who I…huh?"

Just as he got there, Billy realized right away that Freddy was nowhere to be seen. What worried him the most was what had been left of him leaning on the table; his crutch, along with half of his hot dog and his half empty slushie.

"Freddy?" Billy called. "Freddy? Where are you?-! Freddy?-! Oh God, Freddy where are you, man?-!"

Immediately Billy went into panic mode as he desperately looked around for any sign of his foster brother. He knew Freddy couldn't have gone far since he left his crutch behind. Someone must've taken him or worse. He began to imagine the sad and tearful looks on the family's faces. The sounds of Darla's cries cut deep into his heart. He was afraid that the family would blame him for the loss of one of their foster kids. Despite them never having it in their hearts to hate any of their kids, Billy couldn't handle the possibility. He also couldn't live with himself if he didn't find Freddy. He _needed_ to find his brother.

Just then, he noticed something that was on the table. It turned out to be a small cupcake with sprinkles and a single candle.

"A cupcake?" Billy said in confusion.

He didn't bother to touch it but examined it thoroughly. It wasn't much, but it gave him enough of a hint to figure out where to look first.

"The House of Sweets." Billy said heatedly.

* * *

The last-minute announcements for The House of Sweets rang across the intercoms across the park. One could imagine it to be the perfect gathering place for loads of people. However, Luna pictured it as the perfect spot for multiple people to suspiciously go missing. It was too much curiosity for the black cat to ignore. It was what brought her to stand just before the closed doors of the candy-themed castle.

"Luna!"

The black cat looked over to see both Usagi and Rei join her side.

"Hey, where'd Ami go?" Usagi asked.

"She's already inside, along with Superman." Luna answered.

"So, he really _is_ here." Rei said with a tinge of excitement. "A shame Kent-san had to miss him."

"Y-Yeah, a real shame…" Luna said with a side-eyed glance.

"Hey, excuse me!"

Just as Usagi turned towards the voice, she was harshly shoved to the side by a boy that looked just about their age. He paid them no mind and continued to run towards the entrance of the House of Sweets. He opened the door and slipped right in as it closed right behind him.

"Ouch…" Usagi groaned while rubbing her shoulder. "What a jerk! Why not watch where you're going, buddy!"

"Well he certainly seemed in a hurry." Luna figured.

"Guess he wanted to see the House of Sweets too." Usagi said, "What do you think Rei…? Rei?"

Usagi looked towards the raven-haired scout; she wore a very troubled look on her face while she stared at the candy-themed castle. This, in turn, made Usagi equally concerned.

"This castle…I'm getting a very bad vibe off of it." Rei said. "And that boy…there was something off about _him_ as well."

"What? You think he's a monster?" Usagi wondered.

"Not sure, but…I just don't like the feeling I'm getting from it all."

* * *

Inside the magnificent castle called the House of Sweets, there lied a beautifully leveled, white marble room of flowers and other fairy tale-themed odysseys. There were tables filled with sweets from cakes, to ice cream, and even candies, while the toys were plenty and expensive enough to be found in most toy stores. At the center of the room was a spiraling staircase that lead to the roof of the entire room. Many of the guest were amazed by all that there was to offer while enjoying the confectionery sweets.

However, not everyone was taken by the cuteness and dreamy atmosphere, as Ami cautiously looked around for anything out of the ordinary. She felt almost helpless while being in the middle of everything that could go wrong. So far, all of the fantasy seemed too good to be true. For one thing, no amusement park would simply allow their guest to enjoy such a vast amount of food and entertainment for free. There wasn't even someone watching who entered into the House of Sweets like a security guard. Despite that, Ami did feel some manner of composure knowing that Superman was present in the castle.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the castle, Billy Batson had been searching desperately for Freddy among the swarm of guest that were all pigging out on sweets and smelling the flowers. He only hoped he could find his brother before the rest of his family reached the end of the line for the rollercoaster.

"Hello everyone. May I have your attention, please?"

Just then, a soft voice spoke from the center stage through a microphone. Everyone's attention was centered on to none other than the pink-dressed Princess Dreams. In her hands was a rather large box that she had to hold under her free arm.

"Welcome everyone to my House of Sweets." She greeted. "Please enjoy the food and scenery as we start the show."

The crowd of people all clapped and cheered for the princess, while Ami was still on the cautious side.

Billy, on the other hand, decided to get a little rambunctious and decided to climb the spiraling staircase in order to get a bird's eye view of the crowd in the hopes of finding Freddy.

"Now, before we begin, I would first like to introduce the guest of honor." The princess said, "For quite some time, he has been the perfect definition of a hero; defending not only the city of Metropolis, but the entire world from our greatest threats. There is no one I'm more grateful to have as a visitor then the hero who inspires hope in us all. Ladies and Gentlemen, I would love for you all to give a round of applause to the Man of Steel himself: Superman!"

The crowd roared with applause and hurrah the moment they saw the man of the hour appear from behind the red curtains and took to center stage with the princess. He smiled that million-dollar smile of his as he waved to the gleeful men, women, and children.

Ami decided to at least clap for Superman's appearance to take away _some_ of the suspicion.

Billy was too preoccupied with trying to find Freddy from above the staircase.

"Thank you." Superman said, "Thank you, everyone. Thank you." Finally, the crowd died down long enough for Superman to speak into his own microphone. "Thank you, Dreamland guest and Juban residents alike. It is such an honor to be welcomed here with open arms and bright smiles. Y'know, flying across the skies and seeing the world from above is great, but the moments I've had spending time with the citizens of every city I visit; including Juban— _those_ are the sights that can never be forgotten."

The crowd erupted into applause once again as Superman smiled and nodded. He happened to notice Ami in the crowd and nodded towards her—assuring the Sailor scout that he was present in case anything happened. Ami returned the nod, feeling a little better about the situation.

Once the clapping settled, Princess Dreams spoke up once more. "In honor of Superman giving some of his precious time, we here at Dreamland would like to present to you a small token of our gratitude."

She placed the mic down and presented the large box to Superman. He graciously took it and looked down at it with anticipation.

"Please, open it." The princess said.

He had hoped to wait until he was alone to open it, but with everyone also waiting to see what it was, Superman figured he might as well give it a look see.

He opened the box, and…

* * *

"Whoa!" Rei yelped.

"What? What is it?" Usagi asked, startled by Rei's cry.

"I-I'm not sure…! I-I just felt a huge negative energy just envelop the castle."

"I knew something wasn't right about this castle!" Luna suspected. "This isn't good, Ami and Superman are in there!"

"B-But Ami should be okay with Superman, right?" Usagi reminded them. "He's _Superman_ , after all."

"Regardless, staying here won't give us anything to work with." Rei proposed. "We gotta get in there!"

Rei ran right towards the double doors with Usagi and Luna right behind her. She took hold of the door handles and pulled hard. Despite using all her strength, she couldn't even so much as make them budge an inch.

"Ugh! It's no use!" Rei fussed.

"Oh no! Ami! Superman!" Usagi cried loudly. "Rei, what're we gonna do?-!"

"Well what we're _not_ gonna do is sit here and cry about it like you do everything else." Rei said bitterly.

"B-But Ami…and Superman…!"

"I never said I _wasn't_ worried."

"Really, 'cause it's hard to tell!" Usagi pouted. "Ami's _my_ friend. You don't even care about her anyway. All you're worried about is seeing Superman rescue you out of a tree or something."

"You don't know a thing about me!"

"Will you both shut up and transform already! We're wasting time!" Luna exclaimed.

"Fine!" Both sighed before calling out. "Moon/Mars Prism Power! Make Up!"

In, what took only a mere second to do, both of the girls transformed—Usagi from her fingers, and Rei from her pen.

Both of their entire body were overtaken in a shade of pure light that made their original clothes vanish. The golden brooch on Usagi's chest flashed for a moment, while Rei was consumed by flames. They both appeared in white leotards with the sailor's collars, themed neckbands, ear rings, and ribbons on their chest. On both of their arms were white long gloves, and hot red boots for Usagi, while heels appeared on Rei. Flowing around their waist were pleated, miniskirts with big ribbon behind them. And finally, on their foreheads were golden tiaras, with red gems in the buns of Usagi's pigtails.

With that, the two had become the Sailor Scouts known as ' _Sailor Moon_ ' and ' _Sailor Mars_ '.

"Fire Soul!" Sailor Mars called out.

From her clasped hands shot out a concentrated blast of pure fire that was able to burst through the double doors without fail. Through the billowed smoke, the three ran into the castle and into the long hallway of diamond incrusted walls.

"Remember, we're on a mission here so don't get easily distracted!" Mars warned.

"Ugh! I know! You don't have to boss me around!" Sailor Moon shouted back.

The two continued down the seemingly long hallway until they could see a large room open up to them. Once through the entry way, the Sailor Scouts were shocked to discover what awaited them. The room of sweets and flowers had been erased and was left as nothing more but an empty husk of its former glory. The walls were a shabby white, while the ground was concrete. The spiral staircase was a simple design while the only real source of light were the small openings above the walls.

There, lying on the ground were the poor souls of men, women, and even children who were tricked into going into the House of Sweets; all unconscious. There even seemed to be even more people than they had anticipated. Both scouts assumed they were the other people who went missing people who disappeared weeks ago. Among them, Sailor Moon and Mars saw their third scout who was asleep right along with them.

At that exact moment on the other side of the room, Billy had been able to escape the similar fate as the rest of the guest and had come down from the swirling staircase. He looked around in horror of the many sleeping bodies all across the floor.

It didn't take him long to find the one he had been looking for.

"Freddy!" Billy whispered loudly.

He ran right towards the unconscious young man and fell to his knees to get a better look at him. For some reason, Freddy actually looked…peaceful. As if he were having the best dream he had ever experienced.

"Freddy…! Hey Freddy!" Billy whispered while he shook him. No response. "Come on, Freddy! If you're asleep forever, mom's gonna kill me!"

"Ami!" Sailor Moon called as they ran over to her.

Billy peered over towards the sight of two girls approaching the pile of sleeping people. What earned a raised brow was the peculiar outfits the two girls wore. They were sailor uniforms but way too revealing for modesty. In all honesty, Billy couldn't turn his gaze away from their legs but forced himself to keep focus.

The two Scouts kneeled down the check on their teammate. They were fortunate to see that Ami had just about came to the moment she heard their voices.

"Ugh…Usagi?" Ami groaned. She had begun to sit up. "Rei…Luna…"

"Ami! Thank goodness you're okay!" Usagi graciously said with tears in her eyes.

"W-What happened…?" She said at first. Just then, all the memories of what had transpired earlier had begun to come back to her. "Wait…! That's right! Superman!"

Ami rose back to her feet and looked towards the center stage. She was horrified right along with the Sailor scouts and Luna at what she saw.

There, standing at the stage as still as a statue, was the Man of Steel. However, he was…smiling. But not just any smile, but one that was in sheer bliss. His eyes seemed to stare into nothingness. What stood out the most on him was the strange plant-like thing that had been strapped onto his chest. It had sharp thorns that poked out of the dark rose buds, while thorn vines wrapped around his body.

"Oh no…!" Luna gasped. "That's…! That's a Black Mercy!"

"A what?" Rei questioned.

"Black Mercy. Those damned things use to grow in the fields of my home world." Luna explained. "They're parasitic plants that create dreams of a person's perfect life by tapping into the pleasure centers of one's brain."

"Really? That's sounds kinda nice." Usagi said optimistically.

"Oh, yeah its nice until it starts to feed on your energy and slowly kill you!" Luna exclaimed. "We need to get it off of him right now!"

"I am afraid I cannot allow that."

The scouts looked up towards the sound of a familiar woman's voice rain down before them. They were taken aback by the sight of it; a fully-grown humanoid puppet dressed in a red and black dress and withering white hair. On her head was a decrepit tiara, while her arms were gloved in black; holding a ruby red apple.

"Wait! Is that Princess Dreams?-!" Usagi gasped in horror. "What happened to her?-!"

"Hello." The puppet woman said, "I am the monster, Murido. Pleased to meet you." It gave them a courteous bow.

"O-Oh…please to meet you too." Usagi replied.

"Guess Princess Dreams is more of a nightmare after all." Rei said.

"Then we'll defeat her together." Ami joined as she pulled out her Scout's pen.

"Mercury Prism Power! Make Up!"

The pen glowed as her body was enveloped in an almost watery spiral of ribbons. they had completely covered her from head to toe, before releasing her in a small spark of light. What was left on her was a white leotard with the sailor's collar, a themed neckband, ear rings, and a ribbon on her chest. On her arms were white long gloves, and her feet wore long heeled boots. Flowing around her waist was a pleated, miniskirt with a big ribbon behind it. And finally, to appear on her forehead was a blue gem that formed into her golden tiara.

She had become the heroine known as ' _Sailor Mercury_ '.

"The apple is the source of her power!" Ami confirmed. "We'll need to attack that first!"

The other two Scouts nodded and were just about to go after the puppet. Murido was also prepared to subdue them with its mouth unhinged, until…

"Hey! Puppet lady!"

Both the girls and Murido's attention went towards the sudden appearance of the same boy that shoved Usagi out of the way to enter the House of Sweets. He had thrown his hat down to reveal his black short hair, while his eyes were burning with rage.

"I dunno what weird game is going on here, or…" Billy took one look at the girls; eyeing them up and down and raising an eyebrow with a judgmental stare. "…why those girls are dressed like something out of an anime…"

"Hey/Hey/Hey!" the three of them exclaimed while blushing red and pulling down at the skirts.

"…but you better tell me how to wake up my brother, or else!" Billy threatened Murido.

The puppet let out a very robotic laugh that gave everyone an unusual chill down their spines. "Your brother? I'm afraid he is currently within the dream world. As are all the other people that have come to the House of Sweets."

She snapped her finger and out of the shadows of strange aura-like portals, a bunch of the animatronic animals appeared. From bears, to bunnies, and deers of the like. All of them gathered around Murido.

"Aw, it's the cute animals again." Usagi cooed.

However, that cuteness factor was suddenly thrown out the window once the animals began to shake violently. Their backs had spewed black muck that ripped out of their bodies into individual beings made of sheer dark magic. They morphed until they had solidified into strange marionettes armed with axes and other bladed weapons. Their outfits looked very similar to old porcelain dolls.

"Ah! O-Okay, its not cute anymore!" Usagi said fearfully.

"Big deal!" Billy shouted. "This is your last warning. Wake. Up. Freddy?"

Once again, Murido let out her robotic laugh. What followed was the creepiest morbid grin that could form on the puppet with piercing eyes. "Your so-called Freddy is now a victim to the dreams. And soon, so…will… ** _YOU._** "

That was the wrong answer in Billy's case. His anger rose as his fist tightened. He had no time to play games with this monster. Either she would tell him how to wake Freddy up, or he would have to beat it out of her. Luckily he knew just the right word for the job.

He pulled out a phone with a pair of earphones and put them in. The girls and even Murido were confused as to what he was doing in the middle of a fight. He flipped through something on it until he nodded to the right one.

"Okay! You asked for—aw, crap. Hold on." Billy said while flipping through his phone again. "Not the right one…nope…naw…damn clickbait vids…ah! Here it is! _Thunderstruck_!"

He put the phone back in his pocket, as the song he was looking for played at full blast in his headphones.

" _Now_ you asked for it, Pinocchio!"

Billy took in a deep breath before he called out the name in an echoing yell:

 ** _"SHAZAM!"_**

Just then, out of seemingly nowhere from above, a burst of lighting had shot down from above, and hit Billy dead and center. The burst of light had created dust that surrounded the boy and made the girls cover their eyes for a moment. When they had been able to see, and the smoke had finally settled, they were…shocked at what they found was there.

Standing in the place of the boy, glowing with sparks of lighting around his body, was a tall muscular man in his late 30's with black short hair, and glowing light brown eyes. His outfit was a full-body red suit with golden gauntlets, boots and a belt that all seemed to have small glowing lines to them. Flowing behind him was a white cape that reached the back of his knees and a hood over his short black hair. Emblazoned on his chest was a golden lightning bolt that sparked with power.

Needless to say, the girls were at a loss for words.

Murido's grin suddenly fell into one of equal shock as the girls. Nonetheless, she sent her marionette minions after him first. The creatures ran at Shazam with blades in hand.

"Gimme that thunder, Brian!" Shazam said with smirk on his face.

Shazam simply jammed to the music as he ran at them with electrically charged hands and ripped his way through each and every one of them with ease. Every punch he threw was another bolt of lightning that slashed through the marionettes like paper. Not one of their weapons could even touch the Man in red as they were electrocuted the moment they got so much as an inch of him. Even from above, bolts of lightning destroyed some of them, while Shazam had a grand time in punching through them.

From the Sailor Scouts point of view, it was like a light show of flashing lightning.

"W-Who is this guy?-!" Usagi questioned.

"N-No idea…!" Ami said, "Luna?"

"I recognize this power…" Luna said, "No doubt…this is the power of the powerful wizard, Shazam…!"

"Who?" Rei wondered.

"Many centuries ago, there was a great wizard who would visit the Moon Kingdom. He aided us in many battles, including the great battle of the Silver Millennium. But…this can't be him! He was already old and grey when he aided us…unless…"

"Unless what?" Usagi anxiously asked.

"Unless…" Luna's face reveled in realization. "…he gave his power to someone else…to that boy!"

Back in the heat of the battle, Shazam had dealt with the last goon and was face-to-face with the puppet master herself.

"Now, it's your turn, queenie." Shazam said.

Murido backed away a step from the approaching man of lightning. She only had one last resort left. "Perhaps it is time for you to sleep."

She opened her mouth wide, and from it spewed out a hazy red gas that enveloped Shazam's entire body.

"Oh no! That's the same gas that was used to put me and the others to sleep!" Ami said.

The red smoke had completely submerged Shazam until he could no longer be seen in it. Naturally the princess believed she had won the fight…but she was gravely mistaken.

"Sorry, lady, but it's _not_ my bedtime."

Suddenly, a blast of lightning had erupted from the red smoke and dissipated it in seconds. In its wake was an orb of pure lightning that circled the man in red like a force field.

Murido was at a loss for words with her mouth agape.

"Now where was I? Oh yeah, kickin' your sorry butt!" Shazam smirked.

Murido was just about to try and escape. However, before she could do a thing, Shazam had suddenly appeared right in front of her in a burst of light with his fist charged up in an electric current.

"Suck on this." He said with a cocky grin.

Shazam brought the fist right into the puppet's jaw like a crack of lightning. His punch had practically slammed right into the puppet with all the force and sound of thunder as a burst of light had exploded from the sheer impact alone. Throwing his all into it, Shazam sent the puppet woman flying across the room and blasting right into the wall with a giant burning crater formed in her wake. The puppet itself had been reduced to a smoldering burnt crisp. Its dress was on fire while the remains of its hair began to melt away. Its eye practically hung from its eyelid while what was left of her arms were burnt away stubs.

Naturally, it had turned to dust in the wind like all the other monsters.

"And _that's_ how we do it in Fawcett cit—aw crap! I forgot to ask how to wake these people up! Aw maaan!" Shazam groaned.

While Billy got annoyed at his careless mistake, the Sailor Scouts and Luna were visibly stunned. This man alone with the infused lighting of a wizard, had been able to dominate a fight that would take a hefty amount of time for them to accomplish.

"Well…I guess that's it, huh?" Rei figured.

"That…was…AWESOME!" Usagi cheered.

She ran towards the red-suited man with a glimmer in her eyes. The other Scouts tried to stop her, but she was already too mesmerized by Shazam's very aura.

"That was amazing, Mr. Lightning guy!" Usagi said excitedly. "The way you beat those minions and punched that puppet monster in the face was unbelievable! Are you really that boy who turned into _this_?-!"

"Oh, no, I, uh *ahem* I mean, it was nothing." Shazam bragged clearing and deepening his voice. "Just a little bit of lightning from Zeus, and the strength of Hercules."

"So, _you're_ the one who Shazam passed down his power to." Luna said as she and the other scouts also joined them, "I never imagined it would fall into the hands of a young boy. Then again, if these girls can have such powers, I guess so can anyone."

"Oh, wow! A talking cat!" Shazam said in amazement. "And thanks, but I just kind of accidently got 'em. No biggie~"

"It's a little more than just a 'no biggie'…" Ami stated. "You just displayed electrokinesis mixed with enhanced physical strength. I can't believe something as fictional as wizards actually exist."

"Well, if you think _I'm_ cool, you should meet this lady named Zatana who—"

"Hey!" Rei spoke up. "As much as you guys seem enamored by the guy in red tights, may I remind you all of the two big problems here?"

Just then, they all remembered the more serious problems that had to be taken care of; specifically, the unconscious people lying scattered across the ground, and of course the boy in blue who was still controlled by Black Mercy.

"Oh right! Supes is still under that thing." Shazam said, "Hey, you guys wouldn't happen to know how to wake these people up do you?"

"It's the apple." Luna pointed towards. "If we destroy that, then theoretically, the people should wake up again.

"Alrighty then, weird talking cat! You girls get these people up. I'll see if I can wake the big guy." Shazam suggested.

"Alright!" Usagi nodded.

The Scouts broke off towards the apple that laid on the ground next to the smoldering ash mess of Murido's remains. The apple had only been damaged minorly but was otherwise still in good condition. Usagi picked it up and to examine if there were any buttons or electronic buttons that could open it, but it actually did feel like a regular ordinary apple.

Usagi tossed it up into the air and took her tiara off of her forehead. Once again it glowed that heavenly bright light.

"Moon Tiara! Action!" Sailor Moon called out.

With another toss, she threw her tiara straight at the apple. The red orb broke apart into pieces and disintegrated into dust as the pieces fell.

"Well, that's that." Usagi confirmed, putting her tiara back on.

"You guys! Look!"

The girls turned around and saw the hundreds of people that were asleep began to groan as they slowly regained their consciousness. One by one, they all slowly got back onto their feet; tired, but alive nonetheless.

"Thank goodness…" Usagi sighed in relief.

"Now all we need to do is worry about—"

"Uh, girls!"

Ami was interrupted by the call of Shazam, who had difficulty pulling the Black Mercy off of the Man of Steel. Even going so far as to use both arms and a leg on Superman's thigh just to get some momentum.

"Since you did a good job saving _them_ , mind giving _me_ a hand?-!"

The girls all agreed and ran to Shazam's aid. They all got a good grip onto the Black Mercy and began to pull hard. Despite their best efforts, as expected, the devilish plant did not budge an inch off of Superman's chest.

"Damn! It just…! Won't…! Budge!" Rei strained.

"Hey…! Aren't you supposed to possess the strength of Hercules or something?-!" Ami reminded.

"Yeah, well this thing's packin' a lot more then Hercules right now!" Shazam exclaimed.

"It's the Black Mercy. Its grip is far too strong to remove." Luna said in a panic. "We need to get that thing off of him now before it eats away his energy to its last drop!"

"Easier said than done!" Usagi cried. "It's practically super glued onto him!"

Finally, all four of them gave up while they caught their breaths. Even with Sailor scouts combined strength and Shazam's power, it was not enough to remove the Black Mercy. They feared that Superman would remain in such a paralyzed state until his very life is slowly seeped away.

"I could burn it off of him." Rei suggested.

"No, it won't matter." Luna said, "The Black Mercy is near indestructible to all forms of elemental power. At your levels now, it won't even make a dent in it."

"Damn…Can't believe this happened to you _again_ , Supes…" Shazam groaned at first.

However, it didn't take long for the lightbulb to signal in his head with the Wisdom of Solomon coursing through his skull.

"Maybe not any elemental power…but what about the _godly_ kind?" Shazam realized.

The man in red ran right behind the paralyzed Superman and wrapped both arms around his entire body. He bent at the knees and proceeded to lift him up into the air with the Black Mercy facing the sky.

"You girls might wanna back up for this!" Shazam warned.

The Sailor Scouts and Luna did just that by jumping off of the stage. Meanwhile, Shazam held on tight, closed his eyes, and howled with a thunderous echo:

 ** _"SHAZAM!"_**

Just as it happened before, from almost out of nowhere above, a blinding bolt of lightning shot down onto the stage in the direct path of Shazam and Superman. The blast was able to shake the entire castle and cause a tremor of thunder in its wake. The girls along with the crowd of groggy people had to cover their eyes to avoid the dust from hitting them.

Moments had passed and finally the smoke had cleared away. Usagi and the Scouts were able to look back at the stage. To their surprise, something had fallen off of it and onto the ground in front of them; a bunt, riving creature that let out high pitched squeals of pain. It certainly made Usagi jump behind Rei.

The girls looked up at the stage and saw two figures emerge from the billow of smoke. A wave of jubilance washed over them all the moment they saw the big red 'S' peek from the thick fog and with it the Man of Steel himself, accompanied by Shazam.

The crowd of people behind the girls exploded into cheers and applause—if anything from the simple fact that Superman had graced them with his presence while also saving them from whatever befell them.

"Y-You're back!" Usagi said so happily that she was moved to tears. She let her emotions move her into jumping onto stage and hugging Superman as tight as she could while sobbing into his chest. "I-I-I thought you were gonna be killed, and…! And you were gonna…! Don't scare us like that ever again!"

Superman was moved that Usagi would cry this much from him possibly dying. He looked at the others who were equally relieved that he was alright, before looking down at Usagi with an assured pat on her blond head.

"I'm sorry I made you worry, Usagi…" Superman said, "But don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."

Usagi looked up at Superman with tearful eyes and snot in her nose. "P-Promise…?"

"Yes, of course." Superman smiled. "I'm here to help you be a great hero after all. And my job's not done."

Hearing that was enough to put a smile on Usagi's face. "Good…"

"Sooo, how long are you gonna be wrapped around him like that?"

Rei brought up a good point, as Usagi quickly realized what she had been doing. She even heard Shazam give a wolf whistle. Immediately she went red in the face and removed herself off of him with a nervous laugh. "S-Sorry, about that!"

"Good. Now then…" Rei took that opportunity to jump onto the stage as well and wrap her arms around Superman's bicep. "… _I_ was the most worried that you'd be stuck the way you were~ luckily Ami and I were here to help our bumbling teammate."

"O-Oh, well—"

"W-What?-! I am not bumbling!" Usagi exclaimed, before wearing a snide grin. "At least _I'm_ not the one trying to butter up Superman like his groupie. Unlike _some_ people I know. Right, Superman?"

"Now I wouldn't say—"

"At least groupies don't gorge themselves with snacks all the time!" Rei shot back. "You're Sailor suit's lookin' a little tight around the waist there."

This was the match that set off another argument between the girls that at least got Superman free of Rei's clutches. While the two argued with Ami acting as the referee to the spout and the rest of the crowd making their way out of the castle, Superman used that opportunity to approach Shazam with a hand of gratitude. "Thank you, Billy. Looks like you're the big hero today."

"Me? Uh, I-I mean, of course. Anytime." Shazam said proudly as he shook his hand. "And you said you didn't need me."

"Well, clearly I was wrong." Superman smiled. "You really pulled me out of a difficult situation. Y'know, that's the second time I've had that plant on me?"

"Yeah, I heard. But hey, at least you had good dreams in there."

"Yeah, I guess…" Superman shrugged.

"Bi—Shazam!"

The man in red looked down from center stage. To his greatest relief, he saw his brother, Freddy, with an arm wrapped around one of the victims who was humble enough to offer a hand to him. Despite the obvious exhaustion on his face, Freddy seemed to have been alright.

"Freddy!" Shazam called out. He leaped from the stage and ran right up to the boy. He practically snatched him from the other person and held Freddy with a big and awfully tight embrace. It was enough to knock the breath out of Freddy.

"Augh! Okay…! Okay, can barely breathe here!" Freddy squawked.

"Oh, crap! Sorry." Billy chuckled as he eased up on the hug. "I'm just glad your little nap wasn't permanent."

"Forget that, I outa smack you! I was having the best dream of my life!" Freddy said, "I dreamt I had powers, I could fly, and I could shoot rockets from my hands!"

"Heh, whatever you say, Shazam Jr." Billy smirked.

"Screw you." Freddy sighed.

"Freddy was it?"

Freddy's eyes went wide the second he saw Superman approach the two of them. He could barely form any kind of coherent word and was left mumbling like a buffoon. It took a small tap on his cheek from Billy to snap him back to normal.

"Y-You're S-Superman! _THE_ Superman!" Freddy exclaimed. "I-I can't believe it!"

"It's nice to finally meet you." Superman smiled with a hand out, "Billy's told me all about you."

"Really?-! Ah, man! I-I just wanna say it is an honor to meet you sir!" Freddy grinned while excitedly shaking his hand. "I mean I just can't believe I get to actually meet you in person and everything I don't know I can say this but you're definitely the best superhero out of all of the justice league of course not saying they're all weak or anything but out of all of them you're my most favorite of them all is your suit bullet proof or is it really just you how do manage fighting with a cape does the symbol on your chest also mean Superman or just hope where do you usually go when not in the fortress of solitude—"

"Okaaay! That's enough questions, Freddy!" Shazam said through gritted teeth, before turning to Superman again. "We gotta get going. Our parents would flip if we're not back at the food court."

"Aw, crap! You're right! We gotta go, Superman!" Freddy hurried. "It was nice meeting you in person!"

"Likewise." Superman nodded.

"Later, Supes!" Shazam waved. "See ya at the next League meeting!"

With that, Shazam hoisted Freddy onto his shoulder, and took off from the group, through one of the opened windows.

Superman saw him off; proud of how far Billy had come. To think he started off as a boy having a hard time with his powers, to the bonified hero of Fawcett city. Still, there was much he had to learn if he wants to really make a difference, but Clark believed he would get there eventually. Maybe even sooner.

At that moment, he couldn't help but look back at the Sailor Scouts who were still in a heated argument with Rei and Usagi, while Ami and Luna were trying to stop them. Clark truly believed that the children will end up being the next big heroes of the new generation. It was up to him and the rest of the League to hopefully be the best example for them.

Freddy and Billy (now back to normal) were able to find the tables they sat at, with Freddy's crutch right where he left it. He was fortunate enough that no one had taken it.

"Man, what a day." Freddy sighed. "Too bad I missed most of the action. And now that I realize it, I didn't even get anything autographed from the big man himself! Lame…"

"Don't be so sure." Billy said. "Check it out."

Billy nodded towards Freddy's crutch. Once they got close enough to it, Freddy could see some kind of black marking on it. Upon closer inspection, they were words written in black ink. Billy sat Freddy down as he read what the words said:

 ** _To my greatest fan,_**

 ** _Always be your own symbol of hope._**

 ** _-Superman._**

Freddy's eyes went wide. His heart beat so hard that he had to hold his chest. Through his heavy breathing, he could barely say, "H-He…! Th-th-this…! I…!"

"Relax, Freddy—breathe." Billy laughed.

Freddy caught his breath, and was left with the biggest, widest grin Billy had ever seen on him. "Dude…! I'm never _ever_ letting go of this crutch for as long as I—well, okay I'll technically _always_ need this, but _NOW_ I'm definitely not letting go of this particular crutch!"

Freddy immediately got up with the help of his crutch and came over to Billy's side. He bent over and wrapped an arm around Billy in a warm embrace. "Thanks, man." Freddy said to him.

Billy returned the hug with a light pat on the back. He didn't want to get all mushy over something as small as him getting an autograph for Freddy, but at least he could feel good about it on the inside.

"Well, now. What's this?"

Freddy and Billy looked back to see the rest of the family had finally come off of the rollercoaster. They noticed that Eugene and their dad were flushed with pale faces as if they were ready to heave. Meanwhile Darla was shaking with excitement. Only Mary and their mom looked normal.

"I'm guessing the rollercoaster was fun?" Freddy asked.

"Meh, it was alright." Mary shrugged.

"Are you kidding?-! It was AMAZING!" Darla exclaimed.

"It would've been more fun with you to on it." Their mother said, "Are you _sure_ you two don't wanna ride on it? Since Eugene and your father need a bit of a breather right now."

"Y-Yeah…!" Their father groaned. "You guys could go, we'll watch your stuff for you."

Billy looked at Freddy, who looked back at him. Both mulled it over for a moment and nodded before turning back to the family.

"Nah, that's alright." Freddy waved off.

"Yeah, trust us; I think we've had enough excitement for one day." Billy smiled.

The day had slowly drawn to a close for Dreamland with the setting sun in the horizon. Due to the people having no memory of what had happened to them and no proof of any foul play from the monster of the week, Dreamland faced no repercussions for the disappearances and it was simply a factor of fatigue that spread through out the guest. At least, that was what Clark would write in his article.

With that being said, Clark returned to his usual disguise as he walked along side Usagi and the girls towards the exit along with a few of the other guest who were still around.

"Well, this has been an ordeal…" Ami sighed.

"Yeah, I'll say!" Usagi said giddily while eating an ice cream cone. "We got to go to an amusement park, beat another monster, save a bunch of people, and best of all we got to meet another superhero like Superman! I still can't believe he's our age and gets to transform into such a strong guy with lightning!"

"Yeah, he was pretty cool, but nothing beats my boy, Superman." Rei smiled while also eating ice cream, "N-Not that I'm saying he's the _best_ guy around or anything, Kent-san!"

"Of course…" Clark said humbly. "But I don't think I'll ever be able to compare to those two."

"Yeah, speaking of which, where did _you_ go, Kent-san?" Usagi asked.

"Me? W-Well I thought maybe I could look around for more information on the missing people's case." Clark lied. "Just minor reporting stuff and all."

"Whatever…" Usagi shrugged off. Just then she happened to peer over towards Rei and saw something about her ice cream that riled her up again. "Hey, how come _your_ ice cream cone's so much bigger than mine?"

"'Cause I don't scarf mine down like its going out of style." Rei sassed.

"What?-! Just for that, gimme your cone!" Usagi yelled.

"Ha! You'd have to catch me first!" Rei teased.

And just like that, the two were at it again with their banter as Usagi went chasing after Rei towards the exit. Ami sighed and had no choice but to follow them to break up the inevitable screaming match they'd have afterwards.

Clark was a tad bit amused at their free spirits. It reminded him of how he and Jimmy use to be a while back. Thinking of it now, he missed back home at the Daily Planet in Metropolis. Hell, he missed back home in Smallville with his mother. He wanted to make a point to visit her soon. _After,_ of course, he stops Brainiac and the Dark Kingdom.

"By the way…" Clark looked down and saw Luna walk alongside him. "…Shazam mentioned that you experienced the Black Mercy once before, didn't you?"

Just remembering that awful parasite was enough to sour Clark's mood. "Yes. A while back. It was during my birthday. A tyrant on a floating arena called Warworld came into my fortress and used the Black Mercy in incapacitate me. I was lucky my friends were there to break me free."

"It seems history repeats itself today." Luna smiled.

"I suppose." Clark nodded.

"They say the Black mercy lets you see your perfect life. So…what did _you_ see?"

Clark recalled it all. What he had seen and what happened in the dream. He smiled down towards Luna and said, "Nothing special. Just a life on Krypton where it didn't end; a _what if_."

"I see." Luna said.

The black cat ran ahead of Clark towards the girls who were beginning their heated arguments. Clark was left alone…alone to think about the dream of the Black Mercy.

Or in Clark's opinion—the _nightmare_ of the Black Mercy.

For the truth was that he saw something…awful. He didn't know whether it were a dream, a _what if_ scenario, or worse…a vision of what was to come. He saw the decay of the world around him, Metropolis reduced to absolute rubble within the smog of a clouded disarray. The Daily Planet's planet had been thrown to the ground, cars crushed into pieces, the streets ran with destruction and blood. Fires erupted from different buildings all around.

He saw the remaining civilians grovel and bow down to the lone individual who levitated over them like a god descended from the skies. Though his suit was slightly dark, the emblem on his chest and his menacing red glowing eyes were all too familiar.

The emblem…it was the house of El. The symbol of hope…now used for oppression.

Clark saw himself. However, it was not as a symbol of truth and justice…but something more horrid.

He had become a new symbol…the symbol of _Injustice._

Clark could only wish it to simply be a _what if_ dream, but…he just didn't know.


	5. Love Letter for the Journalist

**_Hey you guys. I am deeply sorry for being gone for so long. I'm starting to take some test to become a teacher and that's been on my mind for the most part. But I was able to find some time to finish this chapter off._**

 ** _So, in news of the two universes I'm using;_**

 ** _A lot has happened in Superman news since I last updated. Reign of Superman is coming out, the Elseworld crossover, CW giving Superman his own TV show, Henry Cavill's Superman role being in constant question_** **— _God, too much to keep track of. And then of course there was the passing of THE comic book legend, Stan Lee. RIP to a genius, man._**

 ** _Also, I'm getting major nostalgia watching these old Sailor Moon episodes again. I'm watching the Viz dub most, but every now and then I dip into the original Japanese dub. When I need to think of a few funny zingers, I go use DiC. (and no, not like THAT lol)_**

 ** _REMINDER: For anyone curious about what inspired this story, check out the artist's Tumblr, tiggersmoke and her cute picture of Superman and Sailor Moon._**

 ** _DISCLIAMER: I OWN NOTHING. Superman and Sailor Moon (and other characters) belong to their respected creators and NOT ME. Please support these characters and their official releases._**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 5: Love Letter for the Journalist_**

* * *

Deep in the dark crevices of the woods outside of Juban, an old mansion stood in the shadowy fog of a midnight's wake. Its haunting aura had been able to turn away even the most adventurous travelers from stepping foot in its presence.

Inside, there appeared to be no furniture, or anything that could be conceived as interior decorations. Instead it was pitch black, with stars and galaxies that spiraled across the empty black space. It almost appeared as though there was another world in the giant mansion.

At the center of it all was Nephrite; gazing at the large space all around him and focusing on the constellations that formed upon his request.

"The stars see all, the stars know all…here me, Regulus, ruler of the southern skies. Oh, vast constellation of Leo the Lion. Present to me a weakness—something I may use to eliminate the Man of Steel and the Sailor guardians forever."

The stars seemed to answer as a beam of light shot down from the darkness of one of the planets and pierced Nephrite's forehead. Through the beam, a concentrated source of pure energy and knowledge had filled his mind and created a magnitude of solutions to his problem. He saw, ever so clearly the scenarios and advantages that each plan had. However, he also saw multiple outcomes that had high chances of failure.

And then…there it was. It was perfect. It was the best option he had to finally ridding himself of that accursed Superman once and for all. Nephrite realized that the only way to have an easy victory against the Sailor scouts was to eliminate their strongest ally, Superman. And to kill Superman, he would need to aim for the one thing that every living being has...his heart.

"Yes…" He muttered, "That will do nicely…"

"Well, well, thinking of another monster to carry out your failed plans again?"

Nephrite's concentration was interrupted, and with it, the entire empty space of stars and galaxies had vanished back into the old interior décor of an even older mansion. Nephrite had grown irritated the moment he turned and saw the infuriating smirk of his associate.

It revealed to be a man, much younger than Nephrite with shaggy beige hair in a ponytail and green eyes. He wore a similar uniform to Nephrite, only his had green lines instead of yellow.

"Zoisite…" Nephrite said harshly. "…to what do I owe this distasteful visit?"

"My, as cruel as ever, I see." Zoisite smirked. "Believe me, I didn't come here to see you. I'm only here to inform you that Queen Beryl would like to have a word with you."

* * *

Nephrite stood proudly in the presence of the many dark hordes behind him in the Dark Kingdom's domain. He had no visible fear on his face, unlike his brethren Jadeite. He took pride in standing tall against any shred of fear of failure. If his death were to ever come, he would gladly accept it for his own failures. Of course, it was easy for _him_ to say. He had every belief that failure was impossible for the likes of him.

Such was the case when the princess Beryl appeared on her throne with a smile on her face.

"Nephrite." The Queen said.

Nephrite bowed. "Your majesty."

"I must commend you. Your mission to sap Superman of an abundant amount of energy pleases The Great Ruler. We are that much closer to accomplishing our goal."

"But of course, my queen." Nephrite bowed. He just so happened to eye Zoisite beside him, whose usual snarky grin was replaced with a grimace.

"Hardly a consummation worth praise."

Nephrite's smile quickly fell into a scowl at the presence of the metallic alien appearing right beside his queen. Those lifeless eyes felt as though they were staring into Nephrite's very soul.

"You were simply a puppet to carry out my plans of the Black Mercy. If not for the interference of the Sailor scouts and that infernal boy who wields the powers of Shazam, _I_ would have been the one to dispose of the Kryptonian." Brainiac said, "Remember your place in this domain, boy."

"As if I need to be taught of my place from a shut-in like yourself." Nephrite challenged, "You speak as if you are superior to me, yet I've not seen you out there trying to stop Superman yourself."

"Hmph. Nor have I seen _you_." Brainiac retorted harshly, "I watch from afar to gain knowledge on all that is to know of my enemies. It is why I have given you the kryptonite, which it appears _you_ have hardly had a clear use of."

He looked Nephrite in the eyes with the most belittling stink eye that only rivaled his queen.

"It piqued my curiosity as to how _you_ could ever consider yourself as The Great Ruler's _'best'_ henchmen. Preposterous."

That did it. Nephrite's veins began to pop on the side of his temple as his eyes became furrowed with daggers aimed right at the green-faced alien.

"You—"

"That's enough, Nephrite." The Queen insisted sternly. "Do not dwell on such matters. You must only come to realize that we are that much closer to our Queen's reawakening."

Nephrite sighed. "Yes, Queen Beryl."

"Therefore, I have decided to grant you a stronger abundance of power; bestowed upon you from The Great Ruler herself."

Queen Beryl had summoned her crystal orb to appear in front of her. The orb began to glow a shimmering red that brought an eerie light onto the dark domain.

"This will allow you the power to go against the Man of Steel. Use it wisely." Queen Beryl said.

"I shall carry it with the utmost pride." Nephrite nodded.

"But be warned—should you fail to produce even greater results next time; your punishment will be severe." She warned. "Do not waste the power of The Great Ruler."

Nephrite watched as the red light grew brighter. He could already feel the pure pulse of intense energy enter through his skin. Such a sensation was a whirlwind of ecstasy he had never quite felt before. It was intoxicating, and he wanted more. But then, just as he desired much more than that, the red light faded, and so too did the wave of euphoria. Nephrite had to struggle just to keep himself from falling to one knee.

However, just as the Queen said, he had begun to feel the essence of their Great Ruler course through his veins and make him feel he could do anything. This certainly pleased Nephrite.

"I will not fail you, your majesty." Nephrite said with an evil grin and a bow. He happened to also eye Brainiac. "With this, I will dispose of Superman and those Sailor scouts once and for all."

* * *

Clark had slugged back into his chair, exhausted with the amount of typing he had to do. He was surprised how much went on in such a small district of Juban. When it wasn't Superman or this 'Sailor V' in the news, it was Sailor Moon and the rumor of two more Sailors with her. It had gotten around fast and the popularity of the Sailor Scouts has only gotten more and more prevalent.

He was ever so curious of where this 'Sailor V' person was though. He once went looking for her, but she was nowhere to be found. He even asked the chief of Police, both as Clark and as Superman, but his answer was strange;

 _"Who's that?"_

How could the police chief not even know that Sailor V exist yet everyone else does? Clark speculated some form of memory erasing ability. As for him not seeing her—possible invisibility since there was no way he would be brainwashed that easily.

Rather than rack his brain around it now, after the 30th article he quickly finished, the Daily Planet reporter was ready to take a break from the computer screen. He rose up from his desk and strolled past the busy workers walking back and forth with articles to run. As always the water cooler had a small gaggle of women all gush and gossip about something to themselves. He almost didn't want to interrupt them, but one of the women saw him and nervously smiled and wave.

Clark, in a panic, put on a big grin and waved over-exaggeratedly like a child to their mother. The girls mockingly giggled to one another as Clark, out of embarrassment, went straight for the vending machine down the hall.

He put his dollar in and pressed the combination for a bag of chips he favored. Just as he was about to kneel down to get it, he happened to see something scurry across the hall, passing people by and almost making one trip.

It was the black cat herself; Luna, who seemed to be in a hurry towards Clark.

"Luna…?" Clark called.

Luna ran towards Clark while she meowed urgently. Her paws pushed onto Clark's knee in need of something.

He looked around and saw a number of people watching the cat's actions then at Clark. He laughed nervously and said; "Heh…just a cat I once fed. I-I'll take her outside."

Clark scooped up Luna and quickly walked down the hall, and towards the elevator. Once he pushed the button, and went inside, he closed the double doors, and pressed the 'L' for lobby.

"Luna, what's the matter?" Clark asked.

"Clark, have you received a strange letter recently?" Luna said.

"Not that I know of, why?"

Luna's expression grew troubled. "I feared as much..."

Clark was curious of this strange development and pressed the emergency stop button so as to not be disturbed. He put Luna down and sat beside her.

"Okay, what's going on?"

"Recently, Usagi received a letter from an anonymous admire." Luna explained. "Apparently she has it in her delusional mind that it's from Tuxedo Mask."

"Hmm, doesn't seem like him…or maybe it is…I haven't been here very long to know how he operates." Clark said.

"That's not the only problem." The black cat added. "She wasn't the only one to receive a letter. Our anonymous admirer seems to have eyes for many other girls around Usagi's age. They all received the same kind of letter; all written the same way with their names on the envelope, and all of them signed by Tuxedo Mask."

"Wow. Talk about a Casanova." Clark humored at first, but quickly realized the severity of the situation. "Though, it _does_ worry me that an eighteen-year-old is creepily pursuing girls under the legal age."

"Um…you _do_ realize the legal age here is, in fact, fourteen, right?"

Clark eyes went wide with shock. "W-Wait, really? Wow. The world really _is_ a big place…"

"Hold on, how do you know he's eighteen?" Luna wondered.

"A guess. Besides, don't you know who it is under the mask?"

"Not really…"

Clark was surprised to hear that. It wasn't very hard to tell who it was, even without X-ray vision. Then again, Clark's been wearing glasses for a long time and barely anyone knows it's him. But that was because the glasses were made from Kryptonian technology that alters people's perception. He thought about whether or not he should tell her who Tuxedo Mask was, but figured he was in no place to reveal identities so willingly if there's no malice involved; excluding now, that is.

"Anyway, does Tuxedo Mask know Usagi is Sailor Moon?" Clark asked.

"I once assumed not, but who's to say. Also, don't change the subject; who _is_ Tuxedo Mask? I know you've seen through his mask, so if you know, then tell me." Luna said suspiciously.

"Uh, sorry, I dunno. Mask was lined with lead n' all. Like I said, I just guessed the age." Clark lied. "S-So about these letters, what could be the motive?"

Luna eyed Clark with suspicion for a moment before answering his other question. "I'm not sure…me and Ami are going to Rei's shrine and see if she can sense any ill will behind it."

"Good idea." Clark nodded as he stood back up. "I'll do my own digging. It _is_ my lunch break after all. I'll be back before anyone even noticed I was gone."

Clark pressed the emergency stop button again, and down went the elevator towards the Lobby. He was just happy no one needed to use it right away.

"I can imagine Usagi's not too fond of her crush having eyes for more than one girl." Clark figured humorously.

Luna sighed miserably. "I swear, she doesn't care about _anything_ that doesn't have a cute boy's face on it. I _want_ her to be a little more tactful of the situation, but all she wants to do is cry and pout about it. Sometimes I just can't understand her."

"She's young. Most girls her age can't help but be smitten by things like that."

"Oh, please. Don't give her an excuse." Luna said haughtily. "All this talk of love is nothing but a distraction. At least _you_ don't have much to worry about."

"I wouldn't be too certain." Clark said with a smile on his face and rosy red cheeks. "Truth be told, I, uh, have a girl back home who I love."

"Oh, yeah. I think you mentioned that to me once." Luna recalled.

"Yeah, she's somethin'." Clark went on. "She's smart, she's confident, she's always the go-getter. Once she sees something she wants to achieve, she won't take no for an answer. She's one of the best things about Metropolis. And her name is—"

"—Clark?"

Clark had been so lost in his admiration, that he failed to realize someone call his name. He turned to see who it was, and suddenly, his mind went completely blank. His mouth hung agape and his heart beat a million times a second. He could barely form the words to say and became a befuddled mess until he could only say the name.

"L-L-Lois?-!" Clark blurted out.

Luna was confused by Clark's strange reaction. She got a good look at this woman named Lois; Average height, slender, and seemingly older than Clark by a good number of years. She had long, flowing hair in a ponytail, and shimmering auburn eyes. She was dressed in business casual attire with a bag hung over her shoulder, and a name tag around her neck.

"Clark!" Lois said brightly.

She practically wrapped her arms around him and held him close. The warm embrace was unexpected of her in Clark's eyes, but he accepted all the same.

"I can't believe you're here!" Clark said, getting a good look at her. "You really should've called."

"I just couldn't stop thinking about you!" Lois smiled. "I just had to come here to see you again. I hope Juban's been treating you well."

"Couldn't be better." Clark said, "But I'm even more thrilled now that _you're_ here."

Clark leaned in to give Lois a kiss, ready to feel that passion he's missed from her in days. However, his lips were met with two fingers that pushed back against him. He opened his eyes to see Lois with a sly smirk.

"Maybe later, wise guy." Lois said. "Believe it or not, you're not the only reason I'm here."

"I'm not?" Clark wondered.

Lois reached into her bag on her side and pulled out an envelope; one with a heart shaped stamp on it. Clark stared at the letter in shock of what it was. Luna also shared in his bewilderment.

"I-Is that…?" Clark started.

"…a creepy love letter that appeared in my mailbox? You guessed it." Lois finished. "Since it was in Japanese and the address came from here in Juban, connecting the dots were easy. So, who's this 'Tuxedo Mask'?"

"It's…complicated." Clark said with uncertainty. "Hope you got time to talk about it."

"Of course. We can talk and solve this case while on the location it says to meet." Lois suggested. "The Emis Mall in Shinjuku is where this dude says to meet him. Might as well take a look see."

"Makes sense." Clark agreed.

"Then it's a date." Lois said. She turned on the heel and was just about to head out the door. "See ya there."

"W-Wait!"

Lois stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder towards Clark as if she had wondered what more was there to say. Clark on the other hand wasn't at all satisfied with such small talk from the love of his life. It felt as though she were rushing out of the door after only seeing him for a few moments.

"W-Well, I mean…is that _all_ you wanna say?" Clark asked.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Lois wondered.

Now, Clark was confused. Was she just going to brush him off, just like that? He quickly approached Lois to try and speak to her again. "It feels like you're brushing me off. Is something the matter?"

Lois stared at Clark with a raised brow and an obvious look of impatience.

"Nothing's the matter. I'm fine." She answered.

"Really?"

"Really, my God." She retorted rather harshly. "Just meet me in Shinjuku tonight! That's all you have to do for me, Clark! _Please!_ "

Clark fearfully raised his hands in defeat. "Okay, okay. Shinjuku, tonight. I'll be there."

Lois nodded with a stone-cold expression. "Good. See you then. Do _not_ be late."

"Y-Yes, ma'am…"

With that, Lois walked away out the door without even another word to Clark. Luna joined his side, watching the woman turn the corner down the street. She couldn't help but feel Ms. Lane wasn't the most likeable woman to be with; especially for someone like Clark. "Well…she seems nice…"

Luna looked up at Clark; rather then he answer or explain the charm that comes from being yelled at by the woman he loves for no reason, he only stared in the direction she went with a concerned look on his face—almost as if he knew something felt… _off_ about her.

"Clark?" Luna called.

Clark finally looked down at her. "Luna…this case might be more dangerous than we thought."

"Huh?"

Clark took a knee to speak to Luna more personally. "Luna, _don't_ let Usagi go to Shinjuku. Under any circumstances."

"Oh, well of course." Luna agreed. "It's obviously a trap. But what about _her_?" Referring to Lois. "She's a human. She could be in danger."

"I wouldn't worry about her too much…" Clark said, "Besides, there's more to _her_ than meets the eye."

* * *

To investigate further on the situation, Clark knew just the person he needed to see. It was clearly obvious that the first suspect is the person _behind_ the mask.

Thus, what lead him to the usual hangout spot that Mamoru seemed to frequent after school. A small arcade spot where Clark first discovered Luna's contact with someone on one of the arcade games many nights ago. This time, it had been filled with many other kids who usually came there after a long day at school. Clark did his best to tolerate the sounds of games being played and kids talking loudly amongst themselves. He wanted to feel like a fish out of water so as to not arouse suspicion, but it appeared he didn't need to try too hard to reciprocate that.

He looked around for any trace of Mamoru, but he didn't seem to be in yet.

"Um, excuse me, sir."

Clark was approached by a young man with blond short hair and dressed in one of those working aprons. He looked about the same age as Mamoru; hell, he practically _looked_ like Mamoru but with softer eyes and different color hair.

"O-Oh, hello." Clark said in his usual ' _Clark_ ' demeanor. "I was just looking for someone."

"Oh? Maybe I can help you out." The blond boy said kindly. "The names Motoki. I'm one of the employees here."

"Nice to meet you, Motoki." Clark greeted. "My name's Clark Kent. I'm a reporter for the Juban Daily Planet."

"Wait. Clark Kent?" Motoki realized. "Aaah, _now_ I know you. Usagi told me about you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. She says you're a really nice guy whose usually around when Superman is near."

"O-Oh, well, I guess that's just the Metropolis in us." Clark said with a nervous chuckle.

"Maybe. Anyway, you said you were looking for someone?" Motoki recalled.

"Don't sweat it, Motoki. I'm already here."

Both men turned to see another young man enter into the arcade. It was Mamoru, who was dressed in casual wear with his hands in his jean pockets.

"Also, I'm gonna need an explanation as to how you somehow got my number." Mamoru said.

"You're late." Clark noted.

Mamoru smirked. "Never said I'd be early, now did I?"

* * *

"Huh? Love letters from Tuxedo Mask? Ah, damnit!"

Mamoru groaned at his missed chance to snag one of the plushies from the arcade claw machine. Clark leaned against the machine with a pen and paper in hand for notes, while Motoki just so happened to join them since he had nothing to do at the time. This put a wrench in Clark's more _detailed_ questions.

"Oh yeah, I've been hearing about those." Motoki recalled. "Apparently one's been sent to every girl in town; mostly those in junior high. Really creepy."

"Think it's some kind of advertisement?" Mamoru wondered.

"Maybe, but who knows." Motoki said, "Also, you always seem to go for that particular plushie every time you come in here. What's that about?"

Clark happened to peek over his shoulder into the machine and saw the plushie was ironically a Tuxedo Mask one. Better yet, he wondered who was making plushies of people so quickly to sell.

" I dunno. I like his cape, I guess…" Mamoru replied.

"Wow…" That was all Clark could say.

Suddenly, the doors opened, and all three men looked over to see the pig-tailed school girl herself, Usagi. However, she seemed to be a bit down as she sighed miserably.

"Uh, Hey Usagi…" Motoki called.

Rather then reply, she only let out another saddened sigh.

"Um, is something wrong, Usagi?" Clark asked.

Usagi still couldn't respond while being too down in the dumps.

"Hmm, I think _I_ know what's wrong…" Mamoru said with a sneaky grin. "…She's just depressed because she didn't get a letter like the rest of the girls. Wow, tough break."

That certainly got her attention as she reacted with furrowed brows and daggers aimed at Mamoru. "Ugh! For your information, that's _not_ what's wrong!" She reached into her bag and showed off her white letter. "See?-! I got one too!"

"Okay, so why are you so down?" Motoki wondered.

Usagi's energy diminished once she thought about it until she was on the verge of tears. Clark felt bad for her and feared that Tuxedo Mask did something to her. He even eyed Mamoru, who looked just as confused as him and Motoki were.

"B-Because…Because…!" She cried, "…Because…he wrote letters to all the girls in class instead of just me…! He's…!He's cheating on meeee!"

Usagi broke out into tears of loud crying, while the boys collectively rubbed their temples and sighed.

Clark was the first to try and calm the crying Usagi from making a bigger scene then she already was.

"Usagi, please. I'm sure Tuxedo Mask has his reasons."

Usagi stopped her outcrys and sniffed with big puppy dog eyes. "Y-You think so…?"

"Positive." Clark assured her. "Just try to calm down for a moment. For all we know, it could be a bunch of kids pulling a prank on the city."

"Yeah, Kent-san is right. I wouldn't worry too much." Motoki joined.

"Y-Yeah…maybe you two are right…" Usagi said with a little more of a pep to her attitude. "I mean, the real tuxedo mask wouldn't stoop so low as to send letters to a bunch of girls, when he has the beautiful and ever-so-graceful girl that is me!"

"Well, at least you got the ' _girl_ ' part right." Mamoru commented. Luckily Usagi didn't hear it.

"Okay! I'm going home right now! This beautiful face isn't gonna make itself look prettier then it already is!" Usagi said giddily.

"Wait, why get so dolled up for?" Motoki asked with concern. "You're not _really_ going to Shinjuku to see Tuxedo Mask tonight, are you?"

"Of course, I am!" Usagi answered. "How else will I be able to see him? The first image he'll get of me is one of ravishing beauty! Oh, I better go home right now and get ready!"

"U-Usagi, wait!" Clark called, but he was too late. By the time he tried to stop her, Usagi was already out the door with a billow of smoke in her speeding wake. Clark had never seen her run _that_ fast before. If he didn't know any better, he almost jokingly assumed she had a small toe in the Speed Force.

"Well, there she goes." Motoki sighed. "I'd better get back to work then. Nice meeting you, Kent-san."

"Oh, you too." Clark waved.

Motoki hurried back towards the counter, leaving Clark and Mamoru alone. Once Motoki was far enough, Clark made his move to grab Mamoru tightly by the arm.

"Whoa! Hey, man what's the deal with the grabbing?" Mamoru complained.

"You and I need to have a little chat." Clark said with a demanding voice.

"Chat? About what?" Mamoru questioned, breaking his arm free.

"Just follow me behind the building."

* * *

The two stood just behind the game center in a dark alleyway with the sun slowly setting in the distance. Mamoru looked around in confusion. Clark assumed he was checking to see if anyone else was around before they spoke more about the situation. Clark had already scoped the area and decided to break the ice.

"I think it's time you stop playing this game of yours."

"Huh? Game? What're you talking about?" Mamoru asked.

"Come on, I think it's obvious." Clark scoffed. "What I want to know is why you're sending these love letters around? And to girls half your age? I understand different countries have different rules, but it still doesn't sit quite right with me. So I just want to get to the bottom of all this."

"Wait…wait, are you…? Are you trying to imply that _I'm_ Tuxedo Mask?" Mamoru broke out into a small laugh that Clark was a bit worried others would hear. "Dude, are you serious? I mean, I like the cape n' all, but there's no way I'd have the balls to go out at night dressed like _that_!"

Clark raised a brow to his tone. It almost seemed as though he _wasn't_ the man under the mask. That, or he was playing a really deep and unnecessary ploy.

"Mamoru, please, I _know_ it's you. I saw you that very first night you saved Sailor Moon." Clark reminded him.

Mamoru's small laughing immediately stopped. Instead, his face was now one of puzzled confusion. He cupped his chin as he pondered something heavily in his mind, before looking back up at Clark.

"I…I don't remember _ever_ meeting Sailor Moon." He said honestly. "I've only ever heard of her or seen silhouettes online. But I've never actually got to _meet_ her in person."

Clearly he had to be lying in Clark's eyes. It had to be a very good ploy in order to confuse him and throw him off of his trail. That was what he assumed at first and needed to have a better place to make a call. He went about checking his heart beat, only to discover that it was beating normally. Most people who lie have rapid, irregular heartbeats. However, Mamoru's was normal and didn't elevate at single beat.

Clark couldn't believe it—Mamoru was telling the truth. He truly believed he wasn't Tuxedo Mask.

"Okay, that's…odd." Clark said to himself.

"Hmm? What is?" Mamoru wondered. "Hey, did you just do some weird Kryptonian thing?"

Clark wasn't too surprised that Mamoru knew he was Superman. It was one of the first things he brought up to Clark when they first met. But that still doesn't explain why he himself didn't know he was Tuxedo Mask.

"Well, anyway, if that's all you got for me, then I'm just gonna go." Mamoru said.

"Oh, sure thing." Clark said with a nervous smile. "Sorry to question you like that."

"Naw, it's cool. This Tuxedo Mask crap is getting pretty out of hand. He could be anyone. Hope you find 'em."

"Uh, yeah…I hope so too." Clark said oddly.

"Welp see ya." Mamoru waved. And with that, he walked off; hands in his pockets and not a care in the world.

Clark watched him leave—the person responsible for all of this was the one who isn't even aware he's doing it. The reporter wondered if it was something on his person that turns him into an alternate persona that is known as Tuxedo Mask. Maybe he lost his memory after he puts on the get-up in order to avoid being suspected by anyone, especially Superman. Clark had to keep a close eye on Mamoru just in case.

In the meantime, he had a particular date with his Metropolis ' _sweetheart'_ tonight.

* * *

The evening had begun to set into a cool, star-filled night on the beat of Shinjuku. The crowd was especially thick due to it being a Saturday night to go out and have a good time. However, one girl roamed the crowded streets for an important meeting with a mysterious man. Now, there was just the matter of finding him.

It wasn't a particularly hard look to not notice in the crowd to Usagi. Not everyone would go out into public dressed in a tuxedo, cape, domino mask and top hat. Then again, she had no room to talk since no one would go out in a short-skirted sailor's uniform either.

"Hmmm, where could he be?" Usagi wondered. It was then that she also realized something. "Oh, right! I forgot to tell Ami and Rei where I was going."

Just as she said that, Usagi noticed cute chime call from her bag. She reached inside and pulled out a special communicator that Ami had made for the three of them to communicate. She pressed the button on the center and on the small screen appeared Ami.

"Ah! Ami. Talk about good timing." Usagi said.

"Usagi, where are you?" Ami asked. "We need to talk about this Tuxedo Mask situation with these letters we all got. It could be a—"

"Wait,even _you_ two got letters?-!" She exclaimed. "Seriously? What girl _hasn't_ he given a letter to?-!"

"Nevermind that!" Rei intervened with a nasty cough. Usagi recalled Rei saying she had been a little under the weather. "Where are _you_ right now?"

"I'm already here in Shinjuku." Usagi said confidently.

"Wait, what?-!" Luna exclaimed through the comms. " _Please_ tell me you didn't go there to find Tuxedo Mask!"

"Okay. I _didn't_ come out here to Shinjuku to find Tuxedo Mask." She sassed.

"Seriously, Usagi! Why didn't you wait for us to back you up, or Superman to get there?-!" Rei ranted. "Jeez, you always do stuff like—"

"Sorry, you're breaking u—I can't he—y—I—" And with that, Usagi hung up the communicator. She figured they'd arrive soon. For now, she wanted to go about the investigation herself. Plus, Superman had to be close by.

"Yeah, I can do this." She said in confidence. "It's all for the sake of love!"

* * *

Clark had arrived at the appropriate time that Lois texted him. He stood in front of a closed shutter to one of Juban's major malls. Since he got there in time, he wondered where Lois was, or this Tuxedo Mask impersonator…if he could call him that. He checked his watch; seven o' clock, and neither were a no show.

"Reporter-san?"

Clark turned to see another familiar face. She had been dressed in turquoise colors with her copper orange hair in her usual shaggy fashion.

"Ms. Naru. Isn't it a school night?" Clark said.

"Oh, y-yes, but I…" Naru muttered, trying to find the right words to say. Her cheeks grew a beet red as she drifted into her own little mind. Clark could assume her reason for being there was similar to his.

"Let me guess; are you here for Tuxedo Mask as well?"

"Huh? H-He sent a letter to you too?-!" She said in shock.

"No, but as a reporter, you tend to _hear_ a lot of things."

"Ah, that makes sense." Naru figured. "Then you're here to see him—Tuxedo Mask, I mean."

"More so to interview him." Clark lied. "I'm just interested in how he's able to go about the mass-love letter delivery."

"Yeah, I know he sent them to a lot of girls, but…but I think I know who it is!" Naru confirmed.

Clark raised a brow in curiosity. "Do you?"

"Yes! B-But his identity _has_ to be kept a secret! I don't want him to hate me, or anything!" Naru pleaded. "Please, promise me you won't tell anyone who he is, Reporter-san! I know you're a reporter and all—"

"—I won't."

"—and that might go against what you do as a reporter, but I'm begging y—wait, what?"

"I said, I'll keep the secret." Clark said with an honest smile. "Like I said, I'm just here to interview him. Trust me, I know a thing or two about secret identities."

A sigh of relief escaped Naru. "Thank you so much…"

"Well, well, look at _this_. Cheating on me now, Clark?"

Both were startled by the new voice approaching them. Clark recognized it all too well.

"Lois." Clark said happily. "A little late."

"I'm sooo sorry! I should've got here on time! Other things came up, though." Lois apologized frantically. "Please forgive me!"

"Um…sure." Clark said with uncertainty in his voice.

"Phew! That's a relief." Lois said happily. "Oh, who is this?"

"Oh, this is Naru." Clark introduced. "She's one of the students who was brought here via love letter."

"It's nice to meet you, miss." She said politely with a bow.

"Pleasures all mine." Lois replied with a bow herself. "My name is Lois Lane. I'm a reporter for the Daily Planet in Metropolis. So tell me; are you just as curious as I am to meet this Tuxedo Mask character?"

Naru once again went red in the face and a bashful smile formed on her lips. "W-Well…to be honest, I…I think I might be in lo—"

Suddenly, just before Naru could finish her sentence, all three of them were surprised by the shutter door opening all on its own. They all looked into the eerie darkness of the closed mall that gave off a creepy chill down Naru's spine. Clark and Lois on the other hand were more or less use to the strange given where they came from.

Naru was the first one to open the door and walk right into the mall, with Clark and Lois following right behind. All three of them strolled deeper and deeper into the shadows of the closed mall and its massive space of closed stores and food courts. It was surreal to be able to enter such a large area at night when all three had been so used to seeing it during the day.

"Um…hello?" Naru called while she looked around. "Mr. Tuxedo Mask, are you there?"

"I doubt he'd just show himself this easily." Lois figured.

"He's gotta be here somewhere." Naru said desperately. "I'm gonna go look for him!"

"Hey, wait! Naru, that's not…"

Clark's words faded once she saw that Naru had already took off running through the mall for Tuxedo Mask while calling out his name. Clark sighed. "She's no better than Usagi…"

While Naru was gone, Lois took Clark by the arm, and pulled him close in order to speak to him.

"I think we should split up to cover more ground." Lois suggested. "I'll take the upper levels, you take a look around the lower levels."

"Trying to get away from me already?" Clark smirked. "I'm hurt."

"Focus, Clark." Lois hissed, catching Clark by surprise. "Just stay here, and I'll go up to the second level. If I need you, I'll let you know, okay?"

"Um…yes, ma'am." Clark replied.

"Good." Lois nodded.

"What about Naru?"

"What about her?"

"Someone should stay with her, just in case—"

Lois became visibly agitated at Clark. "Clark, we have bigger things to worry about then some girl. Get with it already!"

Clark was about to speak again, but his words were caught by Lois' harsh glare towards him. Instead he kept himself quiet and simply replied; "Y-Yes, of course."

"I thought so. Now I'll search up there, you look around here."

"R-Right…"

Lois gave one last nod before she turned on the heel and was headed for the stairs that lead to the second story.

"But before you go; one last thing."

Lois stopped in her tracks and audibly groaned impatiently as she turned back around towards Clark with an annoyed expression. "What do you want now?"

"After this…you can come over my place." Clark suggested. "We can make our favorite; the Kansas Special."

"O-Oh, of course. I love those. We'll make those as soon as we—"

Before Lois could even finish that very sentence, Lois had felt something hit her right in the stomach and sent her flying right off her feet and onto her back across the ground. She had only been stopped once her back hit the doors. She clutched her stomach in pain while groaning in agony. She looked down to see that she had been burned by a concentrated burst of energy.

She looked up towards the only person she suspected it to be.

"Ugh…! C-Clark…!" Lois groaned. "W-What are you doing…?-!"

Clark began to walk towards her as she looked in horror at him approaching her.

"You really thought I wouldn't have figured it out by now?" Clark said with a smirk on his face. "It was actually pretty easy to tell within the first two minutes of meeting you back at the Juban Daily Planet."

"W-What're you talking about?"

"Oh, come off it. I _knew_ you weren't Lois ages ago." Clark confirmed.

This certainly made Lois' eyes grow wide in an almost panicked manner.

"I was simply playing along to have you believe I was wrapped around your little finger. But you failed in many aspects of her. The easiest one that tipped you off was that we don't have a favorite dinner. We don't even _have_ a dinner time. Never a break for reporters."

Lois slowly attempted to get back onto her feet, while still clutching her gut. A wicked grin formed on her face as she looked up at Clark. "Heh…as I feared…And I went through the trouble of creating this disguise."

Suddenly the lights throughout the mall all came on at once to illuminate just how massive the place truly was. But that was the least concerning abnormality that Clark witnessed.

Lois's body began to morph and transform its entire appearance. Her body grew, and her outfit became grey and more professional. Her hair grew a bit longer and into a more ruffled brown style that went down her back. Then then her face, or as Clark saw it, _his_ face had grown into a familiar man's with sinister blue eyes.

"Still, I'm impressed." Nephrite said, "The last son of Krypton—the Man of Steel, choosing to lower himself to a messily reporter. Such a waste."

"So…how long have you known?" Clark asked with crossed arms.

Nephrite gave a small chuckle. "I've watched you since the day you first arrived to Juban. All it took was a little digging around Metropolis to get the full story on your secret life. You can't hide behind your dead planet's technology for long. Your glasses may have the capability to fool the simple-minded, but not me."

"Then allow me to ask another question; why go through all the trouble of framing Tuxedo Mask?"

"Simple; to get you and Sailor Moon to arrive here." Nephrite explained. "I know that Sailor Moon is of junior high school age and attends a school within the Juban district. I simply needed to weed her out of the pack of girls and destroy her on the spot. As for you, I knew you couldn't help but investigate to try and save the day."

"Interesting plan, except one small snag."

"Which is?"

"What makes you think _any_ young girl would be foolish enough to…" Clark had to stop himself there. Just as he said those words, an image of Usagi with that signature goofy smile appeared in his head before he finished with, "…okay, _maybe_ you got a point."

"Regardless, having you here is just as rewarding." Nephrite proclaimed with a wicked grin. "Once I've finished with you, I'll turn my sights on that girl, Naru. Perhaps she'll reveal herself to be Sailor Moon once I've _persuaded_ her to talk."

That did it for Clark. He could no longer hold the anger brewing in him towards this horrid excuse for a being to prey on innocent girls for his own twisted gain.

"You'll regret your actions real soon." Clark threatened, removing his glasses. "Especially for pretending to Lois!"

Clark practically ripped from his clothing and soared right towards Nephrite in his blue suit and red cape that he wore underneath. His fist had flown right towards the Shitennou with blinding speed. However, Nephrite only stood there…smirking.

For instead of him being sent through the window as Superman predicted, Nephrite easily intercepted the Man of Steel's fist like it was nothing. To Superman's horror, he seemed to have a good grip on it that actually began to hurt him.

"Heh. I'm not a fool like Jadeite." Nephrite said confidently. "He lost the moment he gave his body to Brainac's nanites; something you have no problem defeating. However…"

Nephrite cocked his own fist back, before slamming it right into Superman's gut, and sending his flying across the air and right towards the second story of the shopping mall. However, Superman had been able to save himself within the air and spread his arms out to regain traction.

"…magic is a different story." Nephrite smirked.

* * *

Outside the mall in a dark alleyway, the pig-tailed sailor scout in disguise had been extremely cautious of any and every sound that alarmed her. She couldn't help but jump at a cat scurrying by or a piece of garbage that fell onto the ground. She had begun to regret not calling Rei and Ami before she decided to sneak into the mall through the back door. It wasn't as if anyone would see her since the part of town she was in usually closed all their shops around that time of night. Still, it was better in her opinion to be _very_ careful.

"O-Okay…here we go…" She muttered to herself.

She crouched under the light over the back door and looked into its see-through glass at the tile-floored hallway. There, she noticed that all the lights had been on inside.

"That's weird…" She said to herself. "Why would the lights be on if the mall closes this time of night? Maybe Tuxedo Mask is waiting for me inside!" She gushed with rosy cheeks. "Oh, I'm sure he's got a romantic date just waiting for the two of us! I can't take it anymore!"

Usagi grabbed hold of the door handle and pulled. Instead, she got exactly what was expected; locked. She tried to yank it open, but to no avail. The door had been locked shut.

"Aw, man!" She pouted. "Figures the door would be locked. So how do I get in?"

"Say please."

Usagi jumped with a yelp at the sound of a voice suddenly appearing behind her. Fearfully, she whipped her whole body around to see someone standing within the shadows of the alleyway. That was enough to make her entire body run with chills as she had her back to the door and was on the verge of tears.

"Um…! P-Please don't hurt me! I-I don't wanna get mugged or anything!" She pleaded. "I'm just an innocent junior high student! I-I don't even have any money…!"

The shadowy figure let out a small giggle. Usagi recognized it as a woman's voice. "Sweety, a little lesson in street smarts from girl to girl; _never_ tell a mugger you _don't_ wanna get mugged. Kinda eggs them on."

"O-Oh, sorry." Usagi said nervously.

"So, assuming since you're a junior high student and are in this area, you must go to Juban high, right? And judging by the pigtails and you rushing into an obviously dangerous situation, you must be Usagi."

"H-How'd you know _that_?" Usagi said fearfully.

"I'm a Pulitzer-winning journalist, sweetheart. It's my job to know everything." She winked. "And I do mean _everything_ , Ms… _Sailor Moon_ , was it?"

Usagi's eyes widened. "Y-You know _that_ too?-!"

"No…but I do now."

Usagi's mouth was held agape. She couldn't even find the words to explain herself or figure out a lie to convince the stranger otherwise. Instead she yelled out; "Okay, that's it! Just who are you anyway?-!"

The woman walked closer towards Usagi, until she revealed herself into the lantern that shined over the door. Usagi was surprised by the appearance of a foreigner; just like Clark Kent. She had long flowing hair that sat over her shoulder and big auburn eyes. She was dressed in business casual attire under a brown jacket. Across her chest was a small brown bag with the familiar big red 'S' on it.

"Nice to finally meet you." She said with a smile on her lips and a hand to offer. "Name's Lois. Lois Lane."

The introduction was interrupted by the sound of a loud crash that came from within the mall. Both of them looked through the door and saw the lights flicker for a moment with dust falling from the ceiling.

"W-What was that?-!" Usagi panicked.

"A top story with my name on it." Lois said excitedly. "Come on, pig-tails. We gotta get in there."

Lois ran right past Usagi and towards the back door. Usagi wasn't as too thrilled about going into the mall anymore. She expected there to be just a small interaction with Tuxedo Mask, not explosions going off. Since there was no way in without breaking through the door (which was illegal), she was a little happy she didn't have to go in.

"Good luck. The door is locked." Usagi said in relief. "Well, there's no way we'll be able to—"

"—and we're in."

Usagi stood corrected as she looked back at Lois, who had easily picked the door open with only a pair of paper clips. She looked over her shoulder to a fearful Usagi and said with a toothy grin;

"What? We'll lock it back."

Lois opened the door and ran right into the halls. Usagi was hesitant to join this brave yet crazy woman _towards_ the danger but cursed herself in remembering that she was a Sailor Scout now and didn't have the luxury of running away forever.

She swallowed her fears and ran into the mall with Lois.

By the time she caught up to the reporter, she stood there, staring at something with concern written all over her face. Usagi's eyes followed and her heart sank. There, seated on the floor, was her best friend, Naru.

"Naru!" Usagi cried. She fell to a knee to check on her friend. "Naru! Naru, please wake up! Please tell me you're okay!"

"Allow me."

Usagi looked up at Lois with tears welling up in her big blue eyes. Lois took a knee right along with her and checked Naru's pulse. Then, she placed two fingers right under her nose in the hopes to feel warmth.

Lois let out a relieved sigh. "She'll be fine; just unconscious."

"R-Really? Oh, thank goodness…" Usagi expressed.

She wiped the tears from her eyes and looked down towards the rest of the mall. Based on the way the entire malls shook further down, both girls could determine that the action was still a ways away. Unaware whether it was the anger of seeing her friend unconscious on the floor, the fear of once again putting her life on the line, Usagi only knew that she couldn't afford to run away from the situation anymore.

"Whoever did this…Tuxedo Mask or not…I won't let them get away with it." Usagi stated with determination. "I _will_ put an end to this! Moon Prism Power! Make-up!"

From Lois' perspective, a bright light formed around Usagi that almost blinded her. She had to cover her eyes for a moment, before the sound of a cute chime resonated through the empty mall. Once she could see that the bright glow had dissipated, she looked back at the pig-tailed girl.

Lois had no words. Instead she looked up at the young girl, whose clothes were replaced with a strange new uniform that resembled some strange school uniform with long boots and gloves. On her forehead was a tiara that sort of reminded the journalist of a certain Amazon that Superman works with.

"Come on, Lane-san!" Usagi said, "We need to stop whoever's responsible!"

Sailor Moon took off down the mall without another word or warning to Lois. The journalist herself took a moment to see this young girl go right into the dangers of the unknown; all for the sake of a friend. A girl her age had guts to do something like that in her opinion. She even saw a little bit of herself in Usagi. The rest, of course, she saw _him_.

"You sure know how to pick 'em, Smallville." Lois said with a smile.

She took one last look at Naru, before getting back on her feet and trying to catch up with Usagi.

* * *

Inside the mall, Superman was just sent careening through one of the stores and crashed through to the other side of the mall with a mess of debris in his wake. He shook his head for a moment before he looked through the hole he made and saw Nephrite come leaping right towards him.

Superman jumped out of Nephrite's path as he burst into the store with enough strength to make a crater into the floor. Both were now on the second floor of the mall as Nephrite jumped out of the destroyed store to run after the Man of Steel at inhuman speed.

Superman made his move by flying towards Nephrite to deliver swift and hard punches across Nephrite's face and stomach. He got the first hit in across Nephrite's face before throwing punches to the stomach, chest, and wherever his fist could slam into. Despite the devastating hits, the grey-dressed man, didn't seem to be affected by them at all. Rather they came off as small inconveniences to him with Nephrite remaining unscathed.

Nephrite finally caught Superman mid-punch and held onto his fist with a hard clutch.

"W-What have you done…?" Superman questioned.

"What's the matter? Are you feeling a little weak?" Nephrite said with a wicked smile. "You should. It's not only magic that's slowly settled into your system."

Nephrite looked upward towards the ceiling. Superman followed his glance and was shocked to discover what had been lined across the ceiling. It wasn't just the lights that cast a bright light across the entire shopping mall, but instead very thin sheets of shaved Kryptonite that practically covered the ceiling.

"Like it?" Nephrite said coyly. "Though it's not enough to severely harm you, it's _does_ make this fight a little more in my favor. Now with Kryptonite _and_ magic on my side, you won't be able to stand a chance."

"Ugh…you talk too much!" Superman said harshly.

In his anger, the Man of Steel threw more punches at Nephrite, which once again did no damage to him physically. In his last punch, Nephrite dodged Superman and appeared behind him, to deliver his own barrage of punches. Superman felt every strike tenfold and struggled to brace himself for them. Even his speed to block had been weakened. He had been at the mercy of Nephrite's attacks, before being punched right into one of the stores like a rag doll.

" _This_ is the famous and mighty son of Krypton?" Nephrite proclaimed as he strolled over towards him. " _This_ is the supposed to be the great hero of Metropolis? What a joke."

Once in his presence, Nephrite grabbed Superman by the collar and lifted him out of the wreckage.

"You can't even begin to hold a candle against me." Nephrite bragged.

"Ugh…then…let's blow it out…!"

Superman took in a deep breath and let out a massive burst of wind from his mouth that blew immediately blew Nephrite away, and right into the wall behind him with enough force to make cracks. Though, Clark knew it wouldn't be enough to keep the brown-haired knight down. The boy in blue tried to get himself back up again but could barely get his legs to move with the rays of Kryptonite raining down on him from above. This mixed with the use of magic against him made fighting back more difficult than he anticipated.

Even so, he still got enough of a grip on a neighboring wall to pull himself back up onto his feet. A bit winded and bruised, but still able to stand up against the Dark Kingdom minion.

Meanwhile, Nephrite had fully recovered from the burst of wind and pulled himself out of the wall with little to no damage applied to him; only a bit of dust that he brushed off his shoulder.

"You've used the last of your tricks." Nephrite said with a devious smirk. "But now it's time for the Man of Steel the bend to my whim and die with the rest of the Kryptonians."

Nephrite lifted his hand; a small bud of concentrated aura began to manifest into the palm of his hand, before it grew stronger into a full, fiery burst that was aimed right towards the weakened Superman. The Kryptonian had no choice but to brace himself for whatever could happen to him while he charged the red energy in his eyes to at least lessen the blow. Both were prepared to attack.

"Stop right there!"

The two halted their attacks as their attention had been drawn towards the sudden, new voice to appear. They were surprised to see that it was a familiar face to both of them as she stood in the glow of one of the windows that happened to have a bright light glowing behind her.

"Ah, so the guest of the hour has arrived." Nephrite said. "How nice of you to finally join us, Sailor Moon."

"So, it _wasn't_ Tuxedo Mask after all! It was _you_ who wrote those letters!" Sailor Moon accused. "How dare you toy with the hearts of innocent girls! Who are you, anyway?"

The brown-haired man chucked as his body slowly levitated into the air. Soon, he had flown as high as the roof; looking down on the two heroes.

"I am Nephrite—One of the four generals of the Dark Kingdom." He proclaimed. "I have come here to destroy both you and Superman once and for all. And now that you're _both_ here, that is just what I intend to do."

"Not gonna happen because!" Sailor Moon began her speech as she raised a hand in the air. "I am the Pretty Guardian! Who fights for Love and for Justice! I am Sailor Moon!" She then stood in her signature pose. "And in the name of the moon, I'll punish you!"

"Ha! You can try."

Suddenly, Nephrite whipped his arm forward and around him formed a black aura that surrounded the entire mall in a space of stars and darkness. Nephrite himself began to become synthetic and his body multiplied into copies of himself. Usagi and Superman looked in horror of what he would do next.

"Hear me now, Regulus—the brightest of the Southern Stars! Give me your—"

Before Nephrite could even finish his sentence, he had been interrupted with the pain of being hit in the back of the head by something hard. He cried out in pain as his hold on reality broke apart. The black space quickly subsided back into the brightly lit mall and Nephrite became one.

"What the hell?-! What was that?-!" He growled.

Nephrite looked down just in time to see a black camera shatter once it hit the ground.

"A-A camera…?" Nephrite said achingly.

"Correction; a very _expensive_ camera."

All eyes went towards the second story level of the mall. There, sitting just on top of the safety bars was none other than a woman who was smiled confidently in the face of the obvious flying adversary.

Clark was at a loss for words as he looked up to see the one person he didn't think he'd see all the way in Juban for a _second_ time.

"L-Lois?-!" Superman called.

Lois simply gave him a smile and a wink, before she looked back at Nephrite in all his scowling glory.

"So, you're the showboat who's been making waves in here." Lois assumed. She looked up at the ceiling and saw the illuminated green lights of Kryptonite. "LED Kryptonite. Not bad, but that's definitely cheating."

"Who the hell're you?-!" Nephrite demanded.

"A lot of things. Referee for tonight though." Lois said as she reached into her bag. The first thing she pulled out were a pair of shades to wear. "And you're in violation of a _big_ rule. Sailor Moon, the glasses."

"O-Oh, right!" Usagi remembered. She reached into her skirt's pocket for a pair of the same black shades to put on.

From her bag, Lois pulled out a strange device that resembled a strange remote with an antenna on it. With a simple press of a button, a bright light illuminated from its tip that was as bright as the sun. Usagi and even Nephrite were forced to cover their eyes from the harsh light, while Clark simply watched to see what would happen. What accompanied the light was a loud ringing noise that erupted from the device; echoing throughout the mall. It wasn't enough to hurt any of them, but it did make the green lights above flicker violently.

"W-What is this?-!" Nephrite said in confusion and anger.

"A lil bat told me that there is a mineral inside of Kryptonite that, if the right frequency is played, creates a reaction to it. Meaning…"

Suddenly, one by one, each of the green Kryptonite lights began to burst into loud pops that destroyed the Kryptonite inside. The pops went down the line as the green light that illuminated the mall slowly returned to the mall's natural light all across the roof. Shattered glass fell to the floor to make a solid line through the mall, and small remnants of the Kryptonite had dissipated into specs mixed into the glass.

"…Kryptonite go bye-bye." Lois finished. She let go of the button, and the light and sound had dissipated away.

"Wow...!" Usagi said, removing the glasses.

"No!" Nephrite roared at Lois. Nephrite began to make his way towards Lois. "Damn you! You should know your place, woman!"

"And you should know yours, buddy." Lois said removing the glasses, "Because that light you saw was made to resemble the closest thing to the sun. Now, _who_ in this mall gains energy from the sun again?"

Nephrite took a moment to catch on, before he stopped in the air at the feeling of something tap his shoulder. He looked back in time to feel his face be socked across the cheek by a fist that felt like steel. The punch was strong enough to break a sound barrier and throw the Dark Kingdom general across the mall and right into the wall on the other side. The sound of the wall breaking into pieces was loud enough to make Sailor Moon cover her ears, and struggle to stand on her feet at the wake of the entire mall shaking. Once all had settled down, Superman wiped his hands proudly with a confident smile on his face.

Lois gave an impressed whistle. "Think you got some mileage from that one."

"Couldn't have done it without you." Clark smiled as he slowly flew towards Lois.

This time, he didn't need to check if she were real or not. He knew from her bright smile, and the warmth he felt once he embraced her that it was the real deal. He did his best not to squeeze too hard, but just couldn't help but feel his emotions get the better of him the longer she hugged him. Finally, the two broke away from the hug and looked into each other's eyes.

"You're real this time." Clark said.

"When am I ever not?" Lois questioned.

"It's…a long story."

"Huh. Too bad your lips'll be busy."

Lois took Clark by the collar and yanked him in for a long and spontaneous kiss that sent the familiar shockwaves through the both of them. Clark embraced her and pushed her against her lips but softened up for fear that he could hurt her. Neither wanted to stop, but instead embraced the moment of lust to make up for lost times.

"Wait! You're dating Superman?-!"

It finally took the words of a shocked Sailor Moon to stop them from getting too hot n' heavy. They both looked down and saw her mouth agape and her eyes widened.

"It's…a long story." Lois smiled.

The moment quickly faded once they heard the sounds of rubble being moved from across the mall. Superman flew back towards the ground, while Lois proceeded to step away from the safety bars and towards a safer spot. Sailor Moon stood beside Superman and prepared for what would come next.

From the destroyed walls appeared an exhausted Nephrite; clothes ripped up, and bruises all over his body. Dust and small bits of debris filled his once fabulous brown locks. The look of sheer anger he had on his face said it all; he wanted the three of them dead.

"You…! You think this will stop me…?" Nephrite said in between breaths. "I won't be…! I won't be beaten so easily…! Do you hear me?-! I _will_ destroy all of—"

Once again, Nephrite had been interrupted—this time in the form of something zip right past his face and into the wall beside him. It was revealed to be a familiar red rose with a sharp enough stem to sink deep into the wall's surface.

All eyes traveled towards the origin of the rose to an opened elevator, held by someone's foot across the opening. To everyone's surprise and to Sailor Moon's admiration and swooning, it was the original Tuxedo Mask himself; draped in his cape, top-hat, and white domino mask.

"You really thought I would allow you to use _my_ name on all those phony love letters so you could draw out Sailor Moon?" Tuxedo mask proclaimed. "Not a chance."

"Tuxedo Mask…!" Superman called.

"Huh. So that's the guy." Lois commented. "Wow, Clark was right, he _is_ theatrical like the Bat."

"Nothing's better than the real deal~" Usagi swooned with hearts in her eyes.

"Usagi!"

Just then, other voices accompanied Tuxedo Mask within the elevator. Tuxedo Mask moved out of the way to reveal two more girls in similar outfits as Sailor Moon. They were also joined by a black cat that leaped onto Ami's shoulder.

"Ami! Rei! Luna!" Sailor Moon said in relief at first, before coming to a realization and said angrily, "Hey! What were you three doing in the same elevator as Tuxedo Mask?-!"

"Finding you, dummy!" Rei exclaimed.

"Tuxedo Mask said you were in danger, so we followed him here!" Ami explained.

"And it's a good thing too." Luna said, looking towards the panting Nephrite.

"D-Did that cat just…y'know what, not the weirdest thing I've seen." Lois gave up.

Nephrite saw his chances of victory slowly dwindle. He was at half strength from taking a head-on punch from a completely recharged Superman, and top of that had to also fight Sailor Moon and her three teammates, _and_ Tuxedo Mask. Against those odds, he would surely perish. His pride told him to stay and fight, but deep down, he knew the better option.

"Hmph. It appears I've been bested…" He admitted bitterly. "…you all may have won the night, but this battle is far from over…! Till we meet again."

Before anyone could make a move, Nephrite had disappeared within a flash of green light. Superman was hesitant to go near him at that second from fear of another Kryptonite trap. Once the flash had finally settled, Nephrite was gone—escaped to wherever he festered.

"It's over…" Rei sighed with a small cough. "Now I can finally go back to bed…"

"Thank goodness we had Tuxedo Mask to help." Ami said.

"Oh yeah! Tuxedo Mask~ I _knew_ you weren't the one who wrote those horrible love letters to other girls~" Usagi said in a daze of love. "Clearly it was destiny that brought the two of us together~ There's no other way around it~ I can feel our red threads of love practically tie us in a knot of passion, and—"

"—aaand he's gone." Lois finished.

Sailor Moon just realized what Lois had just said as she was being carried down to ground level, bridal style, by Superman. She quickly looked over towards the elevator behind Rei and Ami, just in time to see it close and travel up towards the roof.

"W-What?-! He's gone?-!" Usagi cried out. "Oh, not again!"

* * *

A hard battle had come to a close for the Sailor Scouts as they all regrouped on the roof of the now closed mall. Usagi hoped to have caught Tuxedo Mask, but by the time they got there, he was gone. Ami had been able to carry the unconscious Naru on her back. They stood in the dead of night with the half-moon giving them plenty of natural light in the starry sky.

"Seriously, Usagi, what were you thinking?" Rei commented behind her medical mask. "How could you think it was a good idea to head into Shinjuku alone?-!"

"W-Well, I had Superman with me, so there was that." Usagi said with a nervous smile.

"Even so, that doesn't mean you go into dangerous situations without at least informing us of it first." Ami noted sternly. It was actually one of the few times Usagi had ever seen Ami in such a scolding mood.

"Your friends are right, Usagi." Luna chimed in. "Next time, try not to let your boy-craze get in the way of your life."

"Hey! I am _not_ boy-crazy! I only have _one_ love, and that's Tuxedo Mask!"

"Ha! If that's so…" Rei was cut off with a small cough before continuing, "…then where is your _one and only love_?"

"Funny, because I could say the same thing about _you_." Usagi said with a coy smile. "Your Man of Steel and that lady are gone~ I wonder where _they_ went?"

Usagi was enjoying the reaction Rei made. She couldn't see through the mask, but she could practically hear the red Sailor scout's teeth gritting and a slight growl being heard through the medical mask.

"Whatever! At least I still have Kent-san!" Rei exclaimed with crossed arms and a cough. "A-And he's a whole lot nicer and cooler then your lame Tuxedo Clown!"

"Ugh! How dare you!" Usagi shouted.

"What? Want me to say it again?-!" Rei fired back.

Once again, the two got into another match with one another that both Ami and Luna knew would drag out for the entire night if they let them go at it. Ami also realized that she'd have to keep the secret of Clark being Superman at an even higher priority. Who knows what Rei would do if she found out his secret identity now.

* * *

Meanwhile, both the man in blue and his lovely girlfriend enjoyed a quiet moment together. They stared at the nightly lit city below, while sitting at the top of one of the tallest buildings in all of Juban; The Daily Planet building—right on top of the round sphere itself. It was the first place both had in mind for the sheer nostalgia of Metropolis.

"You're kidding!" Lois exclaimed.

"Nope. He really _did_ transform into you." Clark chuckled.

"Not funny, Clark! That's a doppelganger situation!"

"Well, y'know what they say; plagiarism is the best form of flattery…well, not for reporters and journalist, anyway…"

"Huh. That definitely explains why he showed up at the Daily Planet two days ago." Lois figured.

"Wait, he did?"

"Yeah, called himself Mr. Sanjoin, and said he was from a magazine company from Japan. He said he wanted to know a little bit about Clark Kent; famous reporter for the Daily Planet. Figured there was something fishy since, let's be honest, if he wanted the best, he should've just called _me_ first."

"Wow, Lo, tell me how you really feel." Clark smirked.

"Hey, Mr. Perry's words, not mine. Promise." Lois said with a coy smirk. "Anyway, he asked around for a little while, until he got to me and began to _really_ grill me with questions. I gave him half-assed answers and the last lie I told him was what we have for dinner some nights."

"Ah, the Kansas special. I used that too. It was the same lie _we_ used when Bizzaro first appeared pretending to be me."

"Bingo." Lois said with a snap. "After he left, I paid for a two-way trip to Tokyo to find you. But, damn, I didn't think you had it _this_ hectic."

"At least I have help this time."

"Yeah, those girls." Lois said, "They sort of remind me of that other kid. Y'know, the one who can transform into an adult superhero with the lightning strike."

Clark chuckled. "Yeah, he was actually here too."

"You're kidding! Do you just attract kid heroes like some Kryptonian magnet?"

"I'd like to think I'm pretty _hip_ with the kids." Clark smiled. "I'm…what do they say nowadays…lit?"

Lois had just about lost herself to laughter. "Okay, I would let you get front page for my next article if you use nothing but millennial slang for a whole month."

"Maybe…but only if you join me for dinner."

Lois pretended to think about it while giving off her signature snooty smile. "Well…we _do_ have time now." She figured. "And I don't leave here for another three days n' all."

"Great. I know some extravagant restaurants we could go to."

Lois snickered. "On what? _Our_ reporter salaries?"

Clark thought about it for a moment before he came to another suggestion. "Ramen shop?"

" _Now_ we're talkin'."

With that, Clark took Lois up in his arms, bridal style, and the two flew off of the Daily Planet building and through the skies, over the beautifully lit city below. Lois embraced Clark; lost in the remembrance of being hoisted away into the sky. The sound of his cape fluttering in the wind, his natural scent purveying the air, and the feeling of his thick arms holding her lovingly. It was worth it to travel all the way to Tokyo to see him. Lois was just fortunate to have an excuse to see him because of a case, and not because she missed him dearly. Couldn't let him know she had a heart.

"Hmm…" Lois pondered. "Now that I think about it, there _is_ something I didn't figure out."

"What?" Clark asked.

"That Naru girl. When me and Usagi found her, she was unconscious. Did _you_ knock her out?"

"No." Clark answered. Since she brought it up, he began to question it as well. "And it couldn't have been Nephrite since I was fighting him, nor Tuxedo Mask since he went to find the other Scouts."

"Well if it wasn't you, or Nephrite, or Tuxedo Mask, then…who did it?" Lois wondered.

* * *

Across the sky flew Superman with Lois in his arms towards the horizon of Juban. Little did they know that from one of the rooftops below, they were being watched closely from behind the entrance to the roof.

From the shadows first emerged something that was covered in white fair and on all fours; its tail swaying lightly in the small breeze of the night air. It revealed to have been a snow-white cat with a similar moon emblem on its forehead as Luna.

"There they go." The cat said with a male's voice. "Good thing you were able to knock that school girl out before she saw you in that mall."

"Can you _not_ say it like that." Said a young girl's voice from the shadows. "I'd rather just say I _subdued_ her to hide my presence. But still, that _was_ an impressive fight with Superman. And that Lois woman is super cool."

"So, what're you gonna do now?" The cat asked. "Will you take off that cloaking spell, and let Superman find you? We _could_ be of some help to him and the rest of the Sailor scouts."

"Not yet. There's still some things I wanna do before then."

The girl's voice became clearer as she exited the shadows and revealed herself to the moon-lit sky above.

She appeared to be the same age as Usagi with long flowing blonde hair and a red bow tied behind her head. Over her eyes was a large red domino mask similar to Tuxedo Mask. Her outfit closely resembled Sailor Moon's costume in color and appearance. The difference was longer shoulder pads and blue heels that tied around her ankles.

"Soon, Artemis." The masked girl said with a smile on her face. "They'll know of Sailor V soon enough."


	6. A Story to Tell

**_Hey everyone._**

 ** _It's ya boy! Back at it with this new chapter. So I will confess that this one took a minute because I was dealing with a death in the family. But I was able to find it in me to update this to the best of my time that I could._**

 ** _So I'm beginning to believe that I have some sort of sixth sense as to how Sailor Moon's original anime story is. Because as I was writing this chapter, I literally guessed some of the scenarios of the original anime, and low and behold, they were actually closely the same thing to my guesses for this chapter. I'm just too good at this stuff man! At least that's what I think..._**

 ** _Also sad news about Ben Affleck possibly leaving the role of Batman for the DCEU. Personally, I found him to be the best Batman out of all the live action versions of him. Apparently he'll still be playing the older Batman for the 2021 film while it focuses on a younger Batman so there's that. I just hope Henry Cavill doesn't end up leaving so that we can get that MOS2 movie already._**

 ** _Also Death of SupermanReign of the Supermen_**

 ** _REMINDER: For anyone curious about what inspired this story, check out the artist's Tumblr, tiggersmoke and her cute picture of Superman and Sailor Moon._**

 ** _DISCLIAMER: I OWN NOTHING. Superman and Sailor Moon (and other characters) belong to their respected creators and NOT ME. Please support these characters and their official releases._**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 6: A Story to Tell_**

* * *

"Ugh! Damnit…!" Hissed Nephrite.

He had just finished mending the last of his wounds with bandages and ointment. He currently sat in a bedroom of great feminine quality. He opted to sit on the floor as oppose to intrude on the bed or the rolling chair. Besides, he wasn't intent on staying for too long. The night was still young, and he needed to return to his mansion in the woods to plan for the next move.

Since he was alone in the room, he figured now would've been the best time to try and finally go about this a different way. He realized that there was no longer the luxury of simply going after human energy—not when the Sailor scouts and the Man of Steel were a foot. He had decided that the time came to relinquish himself of the shackles of Queen Beryl for the time being and go about obtaining their energy himself.

Suddenly, before his very eyes, the room's lights had suddenly shut off. He knew it wasn't by anyone's doing since he was starring at the door where the light switch was. He almost blamed it on a power outage, before the window itself grew dark.

Now the room was a strange dark blue space of stars and red clouds that submerged him into another dimension. Nephrite's nerves grew more tense as he realized that this was the work of one of the Dark Kingdom knights.

His suspicion was correct once he heard the familiar annoying chuckling of a not-so-welcomed associate coming from the bed.

"You, again…" Nephrite said, not even turning around. "What do you want, Zoisite?"

"Oh now, that's a rude way to welcome someone with news." Said the copper-haired young man with a snide grin. "Queen Beryl and Brainiac are looking for you, and they are not too pleased."

Nephrite scoffed. "A likely story. Kunzite sent you here to spy on me, didn't he?"

"My, my, someone's rather observant despite the thrashing they recently took…" Zoisite egged on. "…and you had _such_ an ingenious plan as well. I guess the creator of the idea isn't always the one who should implement it."

"Stay out of my business, you little bastard!" The brown-haired knight barked. "I will find a way to fulfill my mission one way or another. Tell Queen Beryl _that_."

"Hmph. If you insist." Zoisite smiled. "However, let me lay upon you a piece of advice; I would suggest you do it quickly, before you make Queen Beryl angrier."

"Enough of your prattling! _I_ will be the one to kill Superman and the Sailor scouts, then I shall obtain the Silver Crystal myself!"

Zoisite's grin fell into distraught. "What? How dare you! Finding the Silver Crystal is _my_ job!"

"Then here; let me lay upon you a piece of advice; I would suggest you do it quickly." Nephrite smirked. "For the one who finds it first will be the one to earn both Queen Beryl _and_ The Great Ruler's blessings. So, I would hurry if I were you."

Zoisite wanted to retaliate but couldn't find the words to do so. To his chagrin, Zoisite had to agree with Nephrite; time was running out for him to find the Silver Crystal as he was tasked to do. If he couldn't even do that, then Queen Beryl would deal him a punishment worse than death.

"Nephrite…!" He said bitterly. "…you'll pay for this…!"

With that, Zoisite disappeared in a whirlwind of petals into nothing. With him, went the dark void, and returned the pink brightly-lit room he was once in.

He breathed a sigh of relief that the annoyance was finally gone. He couldn't believe he let the meaningless squabbling of Zoisite get the better of him.

Suddenly, he heard the door open and in walked the owner of the room. She had stepped in with a saucer of tea for the two of them to share. It revealed to be Naru, dressed in more casually, yet cute clothing of a skirt with a sweater.

"Hey, I-I didn't know what kind of tea you wanted so I—"

Naru's words were cut short the moment her eyes gazed upon Nephrite's bare chest and naked arms. Her face immediately went red as she almost dropped the saucer. Luckily she recovered herself quick enough to catch it.

"I-I-I'm sorry, I-I should've—I mean, if you want to—I'll come back later!"

"Oh, no, it's fine." Nephrite said, "Please, do come in. I was just getting myself together anyway."

"O-Oh, okay…I mean…you don't have to be in such a rush…" She muttered to herself.

"Hmm?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all!" She quickly said with a nervous giggle.

Naru stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. She set the saucer of tea on the floor in front of Nephrite, while she sat right beside him.

"So, I have to ask…" Naru wondered with rosy cheeks. "…what made you think to come here of all places, Sanjoin-san? Just curious, I mean…"

Sanjoin was a disguised name Nephrite created for himself. It's served him well to win him many foolish young girls' hearts to obtain energy; including Naru herself.

"I didn't know where else to go." Nephrite said, while putting on an undershirt. He was lucky to have been able to still have some energy to change his clothes to fit in with the human world. "I had been far too hurt to go on. I was just glad your home was near, and that your parents weren't home. It would've been hard to explain."

"Y-Yeah, it would've!" Naru agreed happily.

"But still, I'm sorry that I had to come here on such short notice." Nephrite apologized as convincingly as he could.

"Oh, no, it's fine! Really!" She graciously replied. "I was lucky to have woken up from a strange dream in time to answer the door."

Nephrite figured Naru believed that everything that transpired a few hours ago was all a vivid dream. He counted his blessings that she was too stupid to realize what was reality and what was a fabricated vail.

"But I _am_ happy to see you, Sanjouin-san. Well, I mean not 'happy' as in happy to see you all beat up, but y'know what I mean!" She said nervously before becoming worried. "But seriously, what happened to you?"

"Unfortunately, I was attacked by a bunch of thugs in hoods. They jumped me and took most of my things." Nephrite lied. "I practically had to limp to get here."

"I'd say you're lucky. Who knows what could've happened to you."

"Yes, well, I think I've overstayed my welcome." Nephrite said, as he attempted to stand with his buttoned shirt in one hand. "I must get going."

"Oh. Then maybe we can see each other again?"

"No, Naru, I mean…I'm going away for good."

The bubbly smile on Naru's face immediately fell into the broken-hearted stare of a young girl in love.

"What?" Naru said sadly. "You mean…out of Juban?"

"I'm afraid so." Nephrite said. "I've got important matters to attend to."

This made Naru sad to hear. She had only met the man not too long ago and was already certain that she had feelings for him that couldn't be explained. And yet, she also understood what he was trying to do. She did her best to put on a smile to hide the welling up emotions.

"I see…It's because I'm a nuisance to you. Is _that_ it?"

Nephrite was surprised. She certainly was perceptive of her annoyance to his plans.

"No…" Nephrite said with his best mocking of guilt. "…it's just, I don't want you put in danger."

"Huh? Danger?"

Nephrite had to make this story right. He sat down on the bed and clasped his hands tight.

"You see, those thugs were sent by some bad people who are threatened by me." He lied, "The last thing I would want is for you to be mixed up in my problems." He smiled his best reassuring smile. "But I'm glad I was able to see you again for one last time."

Naru was devastated to hear such a thing from the man she loved so desperately. She wanted to do whatever she could to be with him for at least a little while longer. She felt so close to having him see her as something more than just a young girl. She could feel it in her heart.

"No, wait!" Naru pleaded. "There must be something I can do for you! Anything at all!"

"I'm sorry, but you're wasting your time in trying to—"

"No, I'm not!"

Her shout was enough to even silence the Dark Kingdom Knight, Nephrite, much to his own surprise. He didn't believe the girl had it in her.

"I'm won't let you go out there and be beaten to a pulp like that…" She said with fist clenched; her head tilted down. "I can tell, y'know…you must've had such a sad life leading up to this point. Always doing things on your own, and stuff. I know you think you can handle it all on your own, but…it's just…the thought of you being out there—lying on the ground, bruised and bloody is…! It's too much to even think about…!"

She looked up at Nephrite with such determination in her tearful eyes, that they were almost beyond what Nephrite had expected. Even _he_ was left a tad stunned at the girl's foolish, yet…whole-hearted desire to want to help him.

"So, I won't think about it! I won't _have_ to, because I'll stay by your side!" Naru said "I swear I'll do whatever I can to help you get through this."

Nephrite couldn't fathom why she seemed so dedicated to help him accomplish his goal. If he _did_ succeed, it would mean the demise of humanity; including her. If he told her that, she would definitely think twice.

"No…" He said. "You'll be killed right along with me if you continue to be by my side…" He said.

He expected her to step back and to be rid of the nuisance once and for all. However…

"Then…I'll die _with_ you."

Nephrite had to do a double take at the sheer lunacy that Naru just uttered.

"W-What?" Nephrite said in confusion.

"You heard me." Naru stated. "I'll _die_ before I let you put yourself through something so vile. And if ever the time came where you're in the line of fire, then I'll be there by your side so you aren't alone."

She took hold of Nephrite's hands and held them close to her chest. He saw something; a spark that glimmered in her eyes. He couldn't even find the words he needed to try and convince her otherwise. What could he possibly say to that?

"W-Why…?" He questioned, "Why would you _do_ that? Why would you give up your life so easily for me?"

Naru's face went red, but a blissful smile curled her lips. "Because…I lo—"

Naru's confession had been interrupted by a rapid knock on the door. She had been so startled by the knocks that it brought her back to what she was about to say. Her face turned a beat red while fuming with embarrassment. Especially in realizing that she had his hands on her chest for quite some time.

"I-I, uh, wow! Who could _that_ be, huh? M-My mom and dad aren't do back till t-tomorrow!" Naru said with a nervous smile. She quickly removed her hands from his. "I-I better go see who that is! I'll be back!"

With that, she practically ran out of the room and through the hallway.

Nephrite was left to sit there, and wonder—why does this human care so much for a monster like him? He's trying to destroy humanity through awakening the Great Ruler. If he told Naru that, she would no doubt be in fear of him. It was no problem to him whether she knew or not. All that mattered was that he accomplished his mission. Since he had no need for her, he wanted nothing more then to dispose of her.

It would be easy. She was just a human who seemed to care far too much for him. He didn't need such affection…at least, that's what he continued to believe.

However, deep down inside, there was a strange and warm sensation in his chest that he'd never felt before. It was as though he had been lit on fire, but…it felt good. Then, it became tender in those moments before Naru said what she was going to say before being interrupted. Why did he feel such a way simply from a human displaying care for him? It had never bothered him before, so why now?

"Naru…what have you…?"

Silence filled the room. In fact, silence seemed to fill the entire home.

"Wait…" He thought. "It's far too quiet…"

Just then, he felt a rush of familiar raw energy wash over him. It was the same kind of spiteful hate that he had come to know as a minion of the Dark Kingdom—a youma.

"No!" Nephrite grunted

He ran right out the bedroom door and through the dark hallway. He turned at the corner, and ran down the stairs, before turning another corner towards the front door.

There he saw something standing at the entrance with the door wide open. It was an odd-looking creature that was draped in a hooded cloak with the hood shrouding its face in darkness. However, its legs were clearly that of a monsters. However, what caught Nephrite's eye the most was what was over its shoulder.

"Naru!" Nephrite called.

She didn't respond. Nephrite assumed she was unconscious.

"Who sent you, youma?"

Just then, Nephrite heard the familiar chuckling of a voice that irritated him, especially now. He turned around to see the young man descend out of nowhere to the floor.

"My, I've not seen you _that_ angry in quite some time." Zoisite smirked.

"Zoisite, you son of a bitch…!" Nephrite cursed. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Y'know, I thought about what you said before, and you're right; you _will_ obtain the Silver Crystal." Zoisite said.

"Pardon?"

"You will find the illusive Silver Crystal, and once you do, you'll hand it over to me."

"And what if Queen Beryl gets word of this?" Nephrite brought up.

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her." Zoisite shrugged.

"There's no way I would let a moron like you hold such a delicacy." Nephrite refused.

Zoisite raised a brow. "Hmm. Fine, be that way. However, I wouldn't be so coy just yet."

Zoisite snapped his finger towards the creature behind Nephrite. He quickly turned and saw that the beast had one of his clawed hands up. It ran its sharp fingers across one of Naru's legs, leaving a small cut in its wake. Her body twitched to the pain—the blood slowly dripped down her leg and into her socks. Nephrite got the memo loud and clear.

"My youma here is very versatile with its hands." Zoisite said, "It can cut through any surface with the utmost precision. Until now, it had never attempted _human_ flesh. Might today be that day?"

"Hmph. So _that's_ your game." Nephrite smirk, "To use her as bait in order for me to acquire the Silver Crystal for you."

"Precisely." Zoisite said with a wicked grin. "And don't try to play the fool, as you naturally do, in saying you don't care for that brat. I know there's _something_ of a protectiveness over her."

The smile on Nephrite fell into a grimace towards the young Dark Kingdom knight.

"So, those are my demands: you find the Silver Crystal within the night and hand it to me, and I will return this ' _Naru'_ to you. Fail, and her life is forfeited." Zoisite grinned. "Hurry, now. Time is ticking."

With that, Zoisite vanished into the petals of nothingness, including the creature with Naru in tow. Nephrite was left there, alone in a dark house with someone who was ready to risk it all, taken from him like a fool.

Nephrite's anger slowly came to a boiling point at how he so easily let Zoisite get away with his insufferable games. However, what calmed him down for a moment was the realization; was he angry because of Zoisite wasting his time, or…was he angry because Naru's life was in danger? Why did he care for such a girl? She had no importance to him whatsoever. She's nothing but a scatterbrain who had it in her to try and ' _help_ ' him. So, what was this misplaced anger for?

Despite the confusion, Nephrite still had to take the opportunity to defeat Zoisite once and for all. However, he didn't need Naru to be some kind of annoying meat shield. He regretted having to even consider such a dishonor, but his options were limited.

He needed help.

* * *

A calming night of eating ramen at an old mom-n-pop shop was just the ticket that Clark needed to relax from the busy life as both a mild-mannered reporter and the protector of humanity. It was made even better with the love of his life slurping down the noodles right along with him. He didn't even care if older people were staring at their uncultured finesse. They simply enjoyed themselves all the more.

"Ugh! Om my god, this stuff's amazing." Lois smiled with her mouth still full. "I dunno what the states are doing with their noodles but clearly they're doin' it wrong."

"Oh, yeah." Clark agreed wiping the steam from his glasses. "The secret is the broth they cook it in. It's made up of natural ingredients that you can't find in pre-packaged goods."

"Then pre-package this stuff to _me._ " Lois said. She swallowed the last of her noodles before coming in to whisper. "Oh, and speakin' of secrets, I gotta ask; do those girls know who you _really_ are?"

Clark leaned in close to whisper as well. "For the most part, only one of them knows; the girl you saw in the all-blue sailor suit."

"How'd _that_ happen? Thought those glasses were supposed to be Kryptonian made to shift suspicion."

"Hey, _you_ figured it out within the first week I appeared in the sky."

"That's because I'm not an idiot, Smallville…" Lois smirked. "…and I'm guessing neither was she. You outta be careful."

"Yeah, I know." Clark said, "It's bad that my identity is starting to go around, it'd be even worse if more of my enemies knew."

Almost as though the universe answered, the sound of a sudden blast just outside the ramen shop sounded across the entire establishment. The restaurant shook with panicked customers and workers startled by the event. Lois and Clark were on full alert towards the source of all the loudness. What they saw, had both of their mouths agape.

Standing just outside the windows was none other then a familiar face they didn't expect to see once again so soon. Judging by the anger in his eyes, he was no doubt looking for trouble.

"I-It's Nephrite! Again?" Lois said fearfully.

Nephrite practically swung the door open, to the fear of all the customers inside. He made no attempt to explain himself, nor waste time in walking right towards Clark and Lois. Naturally Clark stood in front of Lois, prepared to risk his own secret identity to protect the one he loves.

Nephrite approached Clark; the two staring down each other with bitter stares that could spark tension between them.

"We need to speak." Nephrite said, eyeing Lois, "Privately."

"Uh, excuse me?" Lois answered back.

"Lois, it's alright." Clark assured her. "I got this."

Lois didn't buy into letting Clark go with the obvious dark powered pretty boy just to talk. She had a sinking suspicion that something nefarious was going on. She looked up at Clark, who gave her that deadly Kanas smile of his that almost made her feel at ease. She hated that he decided to use it on her now.

She sighed in defeat. But before she let them go, Lois walked past Clark, and got right into Nephrite's face with a threatening glare that quite honestly made Nephrite a little on edge.

"If _anything_ happens to my man, powers or not, I'm gonna take these chopsticks, shove 'em up your ass, and use them like your Queen's—"

"Lois!" Clark exclaimed shockingly.

Lois stopped herself but kept her glare on Nephrite. She pointed at both her eyes, then pointed back at Nephrite as she took a step back—threatening to watch his every move should he try to pull something. He wouldn't admit it, but in that moment, Nephrite was…kind of worried. This was a woman who used gadgets to get the better of him; a tactical genius of the Dark Kingdom. He dreaded what other tricks she had on her.

"Okay, Nephrite." Clark said approaching Nephrite, "Let's talk."

* * *

Nephrite transported both he and Clark onto the top of the highest building that was within range. Both had appeared onto the roof through a strange black portal. Nephrite exited the opening just fine. Clark, however, didn't feel so good.

"Ugh…" Clark groaned. "…how do you go through that thing all the time?"

Nephrite ignored him. Instead he continued his stroll until he walked onto the edge of the roof. He looked down at the city below and saw the many lights of Juban create a wave of concrete and honking cars. It fascinated Nephrite at how fixated humans seemed to be on the bright lights for their city.

"It's ironic." Nephrite finally said. "This was the same exact building of which we both first met. How fitting we return here so soon."

"Yeah, real full-circle." Clark said with arms crossed. "Now what's this _talk_ you wanted to have?"

Nephrite turned to face the disguised Kryptonian. Clark immediately noticed the grave look on his face—almost as if he was hesitant to speak up about what was on his mind. Nevertheless, Nephrite spoke:

"I…need your help."

Clark was left speechless. If he didn't have super hearing, he'd assumed that he heard wrong.

"You can't be serious…"

"I mean it." Nephrite said sternly. "I wouldn't waste my time coming here if I didn't need you."

"You've got some nerve, y'know that?" Clark ranted. "You create a game to lure innocent young girls into a mall, you send monsters to do your bidding, you attack us, you _impersonate_ Lois…" That part got him angry the most. "…all that under an hour ago, mind you. And _now_ you expect me to just up and help you?"

Nephrite could understand the distrust the Man of Steel had with him. In a similar position, he too would've been doubtful of trusting a man who tried to kill him only an hour ago. Even so, time was not on his side to try and convince the boy scout to be trusted. He needed to fulfill his end.

"One of the generals of the Dark Kingdom, Zoisite…he…"

He seemed almost hesitant to answer. It was there, that Clark could see something in Nephrite that he didn't think he'd ever see; he looked…sad. So sad, that he had to increase the anger on his face to instinctively hide it.

"…he took Naru." Nephrite finally said.

Clark was shocked to say the least. "I know her. She's a student at Juban junior high school! Why? Does it have to do with Sailor Moon?"

"No…it's something else." Nephrite replied, "Zoisite wants the Silver Crystal. Do you know of it?"

"I believe I've heard of it before." Clark recalled. He remembered Luna had mentioned it.

"He told me that if I deliver to him the Silver Crystal tonight, he'll let Naru go." Nephrite explained. "I know there's no way I'll be able to uncover it by the end of the night. It has been lost for centuries."

"So that's where _I_ come in." Clark assumed.

"Unfortunately." Nephrite said begrudgingly.

Clark pondered and processed Nephrite's explanation. There were things in this story that he didn't believe right away. He paced back for a moment to get his thoughts together, before he turned around to face him again.

"Okay, now, tell me this; why should I believe a word of what you're saying? You, caring for a human out of the blue seems too far of a stretch. For all I know, this could just be another trap and you've taken an innocent girl hostage."

Nephrite scoffed. "Please. If I _were_ to lay a trap, it would've been a better crafted one then me asking _you_ for help."

Clark raised a brow in suspicion.

"I don't have time for your doubts, Kryptonian." Nephrite said impatiently. "There's no reason for me to lie."

Naturally Clark wasn't one to believe anything that Nephrite had to say. However, one important factor was that Naru had been kidnapped. That was all he needed to hear for him to go along with this possible trap. Saving Usagi's friend was top priority.

He approached Nephrite and looked him threateningly in the eyes. "I'm only helping you to save the girl. Nothing else. If this _is_ a trap, you won't like what happens next."

Nephrite didn't budge an inch in the presence of Clark's intimidating height over him. Instead, snorted haughtily and said, "Very well. Believe what you will."

Clark backed off but still kept his guard up and his arms crossed. "Okay. Let's start where it all happened."

* * *

Nephrite and Clark, was was now dressed as Superman, descend upon the entrance to the Naru's home. It appeared her family was still absent due to the lights being off inside.

"This is it." Nephrite said. "Though I can't understand why you would want to return to the scene of the crime when you can just listen out for them."

"Y'know, that's not exactly an _easy_ thing for me to do." Superman replied. "Besides, nothing wrong with a little investigative journalism skills."

"Hmph. Use whatever human nonsense you'd like." Nephrite scoffed.

Both walked through the lawn towards Naru's house. However, the biggest stand out came from the black smut on the surface of the door handle. Almost as if something had grab hold of it with long bony fingers. They also noticed claw marks across the chalky dirt.

"That creature must have an ability to do with this dirt." Nephrite said, "Perhaps it is a beast who resides in black smut to survive. Or maybe a ghoul who uses the elements of black dirt as his weapon. Or perhaps—"

"— _Or_ maybe our dirty boy likes to mess around at Home improvement stores." Supes pointed out.

"What?"

Superman stared at the grime on the door ceil for only a moment and. He swiped his fingers across it and rubbed them together. Then, to Nephrite's disgust, he dabbed his tongue to his dirt-covered fingers, before he had analyzed it to its source.

"This is dirt from potting soil— _Magical-Gro_ to be precise." He stated. "Huh. Not the most potent soil though. Personally, I prefer _Ground Max_ to do the job since it retains the crops splendor without much of that tart taste to it—"

"Ugh! Save your farm boy fanaticism for later!" Nephrite demanded. "Can you, or can you not uncover where they are?"

"I can. This soil came from a recently opened batch; fresh in preparation. This particular blend is found in bulk at a Home improvement store called _Gaimon Depot_. For the soil to be _this_ fresh means it would've had to have been purchased an hour ago. We'll start there."

"Right." Nephrite said with anger in his eyes to match the burning aura on his hands. "We'll make our way through their employees and force them to tell us where Naru and that fool, Zoisite are. They'll know true fury at the hands of—"

"Hey, easy there, tiger. That's _not_ how I do it." Superman said, calling him down.

Nephrite was annoyed by the Man of Steel's _boy scout_ sensibilities but humored him; given the situation. He calmed himself and crossed his arms. "Fine then. Enlighten me; how would _you_ do it?"

* * *

The night had begun to grow later then she expected. Certainly not the time for an innocent junior high school student to strolling around alone. Luckily, Usagi traveled with Ami and an under-the-weather Rei. And of course, her trusted cat Luna sitting on her shoulder. They had just about made it to the famous Juban fountain with a row of stairs leading towards it in a large open area.

"Ugh! I hope I never have to see another Dark Kingdom person again…" Usagi groaned.

"Don't push your luck." Luna said honestly. "The Dark Kingdom is vast in numbers. We may be able to defeat a few of the monsters they send out, but in reality, we've barely scratched the surface. There are thousands of monsters within their domain. We'll need to be ready to face them all."

" _All_?-! We're gonna fight _all_ of them?-!" Usagi exclaimed as she stopped walking.

"For once, I gotta agree with Usagi." Rei said, coughing a bit through her medical mask. "There's no way the three of us stand a chance against those odds."

"As much as I want to help protect the city, I don't think I'll be able to balance school _and_ a war." Ami chimed in.

"Look, I know its asking a lot out of you three, but this is more important." Luna stated, leaping off of Usagi's shoulder. "Its not just this city that's at risk. The entire world is on the line as well. Compared to your daily lives, defeating the Dark Kingdom and finding the Silver Crystal is more crucial!"

Usagi sighed. "You just don't understand the life of a young maiden, Luna."

"Excuse me?-! I'm trying to look out for all of you here!" Luna protested. "Maybe if _you_ weren't so lazy, Usagi, and took initiative, we would've found the Silver Crystal by now!"

"Hey! Don't get mad at me! I'm doing the best I can here!"

"Clearly not enough!"

"What was that you mean 'ol cat!"

"I may be old, but at least I get things done!"

"Oh yeah?-!"

"Yeah!"

The two snarled at each other with tension practically becoming physical through the surge of electricity in their eyes. Both Rei and Ami didn't know what to make of the situation, and simply stood back to let them quickly make up and move on.

However, they didn't account for another voice to join in on their little spat.

"Okay! Break it up, you two!"

Both Luna and Usagi were startled by the loud, and authoritative voice that erupted from a lone woman standing over them like a disappointed parent. Her stare was just as harsh as Usagi's mom with her hands on her hips.

"Lois-san…!" Usagi said nervously.

"Now I don't know what nonsense caused the fight, but it is _not_ the way we're gonna get anywhere. So I want it to end right here, right now!" Lois demanded. "Do you hear me?"

"Y-Yes, ma'am!" Both Luna and Usagi answered while frantically sitting up straight.

The scowl had quickly been replaced with a warm and loving smile. "Good."

"Um, Lois Lane-san, was it?" Ami asked.

"Oh, no need for the formalities, sweetie. You can just call me Lois."

"O-Okay, Lois. What brings you out here?"

"Yeah, I figured you'd be all comfy-cozy with Superman…" Rei said in a rather hostile tone.

Lois had a feeling that it had to do with Clark, to which she pinpointed it to jealousy. It wasn't the first time she'd gotten the stink eye for her time with Superman. She'd grown accustomed to recognizing the social cues of jealousy.

"I _was_ …" That certainly lit a fire under Rei (figuratively, of course) "…but right now, we've got a bigger problem at hand. Nephrite's back."

"Say, what?-!" All four exclaimed.

"Oh, it gets worse." Lois said gravely. "He took Clark with him."

"He—WHAT?-!" Rei exclaimed angrily. She seemed so boiled over that revelation that her body seemed to radiate heat. "How dare that glossy creep put his hands on _MY_ Kent-san!"

" _Your_ Kent-san?" Lois mumbled under her breath.

"We _must_ find them right this second!" Rei declared.

"Then lucky for you four, I got a lead."

Lois reached into her bag and pulled out a small tape recorder to show to the girls.

"Is that a…tape recorder?" Usagi asked, standing back up with Luna on her shoulder.

"Why, yes, it is." Lois stated the obvious. "Only this one works as more of a radio to another one I slipped into Clark's back pocket. It's what's on it that's important."

She turned towards Usagi with something she wanted to get off her chest. Lois knew this would hurt Usagi the most, but it was better to let her know what was happening at the moment.

"Usagi…apparently one of the Dark Kingdom goons…they kidnapped your friend, Naru."

Usagi could not find the words to express how terrified she was. She could only stand there with her mouth agape to release a gasp. She could feel tears welling up inside of her, threatening to come out.

"N-No…! How…?" Usagi uttered shakily.

"I don't know." Lois said, "The connection got lost the farther the other tape recorder was…All I know is that Nephrite and Superman are working together to find her."

"Wait, so Nephrite _didn't_ kidnap her?" Ami noted.

"No, he's apparently helping to find her."

"But why would Nephrite go against his own organization?" Rei wondered.

"It doesn't matter…"

The girls and even Luna looked over at Usagi, whose head was cast down and her fists began to shake. They all could imagine how difficult it was for their bumbling leader to hear that one of her closest friends was in danger.

"I don't care who kidnapped her, or why…it's unforgivable…! And I won't stand for it!"

Usagi rose her head for the others to see something…different about her. Her blue eyes seemed to radiate a new found passion burning inside them. It was obvious that she forced herself to suck it in her tears from falling down her cheeks, while all that pent up sadness had been replaced with a strong determination to save a life.

"I'm not gonna sit around and wait for Superman or that creep Nephrite to save Naru! I'm gonna do it myself!"

"B-But, Usagi, we can't just—"

"No buts, Ami!" Usagi ordered, practically startling Ami and the others. "Naru is one of my best friends! She had nothing to do with all of this besides being in contact with me! It's all my fault, so _I_ have to make it right!"

"Now _that's_ what I wanted to hear." Lois smirked. "We'll go scouring the city for her even if it takes all night!"

"A-All night?" Ami sputtered. "B-But what about school tomorrow?"

"Well, I think we can all afford to miss _one_ day of class." Rei shrugged.

"Come on, Ami! This is more important than perfect attendance! It's Naru we're talking about!" Usagi pleaded. "She's done plenty to help me, and you know she's helped _you_ on occasion! It's what _she'd_ do if _you_ went missing!"

"B-But, I…I…" Finally, Ami surrendered with a distressed sigh. "…you're right. This _is_ more important." She became ready and raring to go. "Let's do it. For Naru."

"For Naru." Rei said with a cough.

"For Naru." Usagi said.

"For Naru." Luna nodded.

Lois could only mutter under her breath. "I barely _know_ the girl…"

* * *

"This is ridiculous." Nephrite whispered.

He tried to straighten his tie so the collar wouldn't strangle him. His suit felt constricting, while the glasses hurt his eyes. He felt a tad embarrassed having to tie his bushy hair the way he did. He looked over at Clark, who seemed so natural with his disguise of a dressed down plaid shirt, some slacks, scuffed up shoes, and those glasses of his. It was almost impressive how seamlessly he blended in with the humans.

"Like I told you; just follow my lead." Clark assured him.

"I don't follow _anyone's_ lead."

"Says the guy who does everything his queen says."

"You _dare_ speak of Queen Beryl with such disrespect?" Nephrite whispered threateningly.

"Hey, enough! We're about to go in."

Nephrite held his anger at bay for the time being. The door to an office had been opened by a young woman who dressed in business casual attire and here hair in a bow. She seemed to be almost distracted by the two handsome men as her cheeks went red. Her eyes seemed to be more focused on Nephrite though.

"H-He'll see you both now." She said almost swooning.

"Oh, Thank you." Clark said with a light bow.

"Move." Nephrite said rudely while walking right past her, much to her disappointment.

Clark sighed and followed behind him. Both of them stood in an office that had different pictures of the boss posing with important people from all around the world on his white-painted walls. In the back corner was a filing cabinet that had a few of the shelves opened. At the center of the room was a long desk filled with paperwork and a few pictures that most likely had his family on them.

The man, currently writing his way through piles of papers was portly and looked in his late forties with balding hair and a thick, rugged appearance. His shirt was riddles with the sweat that came down from his head. Clearly he had been stressed out.

"Um…excuse me." Clark said meagerly. It made Nephrite sick to see such a powerful being sound so pitiful.

"Yeah, yeah, whadd'ya want with—" The boss man looked up with furrowed brows, before they went up and his eyes became as wide as plates. "Holy Moly! Y-You're…! You're him! Y-You're _really_ him!"

Both Clark and Nephrite was confused. Clark was more worried that somehow this man knew who he really was. The boss man quickly got out of his chair and practically hustled right towards Clark with a starstruck gaze in his eyes. His big goofy smile revealed some of the crooked teeth he had.

"You're Clark Kent from the Daily Planet in Metropolis!" The boss man said, grabbing hold of Clark's hand and frantically shaking it with his sweaty palms. "I-I can't believe I actually get to meet cha! I heard you was here in Juban nowadays! I read all a' your articles about Superman! That recent piece ya did about _Gaimon Deport_ has made this once small business _really_ see some big numbers! I can't thank ya enough for that!"

"Oh, um, thank you." Clark smiled graciously, slipping his hand out of the sweaty palms. "I'm glad I was able to help you out."

"So, uh, what brings ya here to my business?" The boss asked, "And who's this guy with ya?"

"This is my trainee, Sanjoin." Clark introduced. "He's planning to work for the Juban Daily Planet as well."

Nephrite scoffed under his breath. He felt insulted to be subjugated to a trainee under his enemy.

"He's _very_ happy to be here." Clark said through gritted teeth.

"Um…okay…So what can I do for yous two?"

"You see, we're currently running a story on a recent case." Clark explained. "There's been a string of missing people in the neighborhood and we wanted to crack down on a possible lead."

"Huh. That sounds more like a cop's job then a reporter." The boss pondered.

"Ah, yes. But I'm _also_ an investigative journalist. It's sort of my job to find out things for the next article." Clark reasoned with. "We'll only need to take a look at security footage that may or may not have the perpetrator on film."

The boss thought about it for a moment while rubbing his double chin. "I dunno…"

"…aaand it would definitely look good for your business to know that you helped thwart an abductor."

That definitely lit the boss' eyes up.

"Oh, when ya say it like that, take all the time ya need!" The boss said happily. "Just go out this door and walk down the right side of the hall. The camera room is on the third door on the left."

"Thank you, sir." Clark nodded.

"Please, please, call me Tesubo! Be sure to make note a that in your article!" He said excitedly.

"Yes, of course." Clark said with a light chuckle.

With that, Clark and Nephrite walked out of the office and continued down the hall the way Tetsuo said to go.

"That was it?" Nephrite said.

"What?"

"You simply fooled him about putting his business in your article and he let you get away with this?"

"I didn't _fool_ him. It's my job to write editorials on certain happenings in Juban; including the little things like this new hardware store opening."

"But…why?" Nephrite questioned. "Why put yourself through such tedious activities as this? You have more power than any human could possibly imagine, yet you choose to blend in with them. What do you gain out of it all?"

Clark pondered for the best way to answer just as they stood in front of the camera room's door.

"Well, for one thing; I enjoy writing about people." Clark said happily. "It's something that allows their stories to reach the rest of the city. Hell, even the world. Everyone has a story to be told."

Nephrite scoffed. "Not everyone."

Nephrite opened the door to the camera room and waltzed right in. Both of them saw two security guards that sat at the helm of the many monitors in front of them. Each one had surveillance of every corner of the entire store in a black n white filter. The two security guards turned around to face the visceral anger that showed behind Nephrite's glasses. It certainly put a chill down both of their spines.

"Leave." He demanded threateningly.

Without another word, the two guards stood up with their hands on their batons in defense.

"Ah! Oh, don't worry! We're not here for any problems!" Clark intervened. He pulled out his reporters badge with his other hand up. "We're just reporters. Your boss allowed us in here. If you don't believe us, you can speak to him yourselves."

The two security guards looked at each other with uncertainty. However, they simply took Clark's word for it and dropped their guards.

"Uh, yeah, our boss already told us you two were coming." One of them said. "Go right ahead."

Clark nodded in appreciation, while Nephrite rolled his eyes at the Kryptonians' antics. Clark went straight to the monitors and looked at the one that had a good look at the register.

"Can you rewind the register footage an hour back?" Clark asked one of the guards.

The guard did as asked and rewound the footage of the registers back an hour ago. He then sped it back forward by at least 1.25 speed. A number of people came and went from young to old—families to couples. There didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary on the black n white screen. There also didn't seem to be any kind of purchase of the black soil yet.

"Wait! Pause the tape!" Nephrite blurted out. "Go back about ten seconds."

The guard did as told and rewound the footage back ten seconds to pause it. On the screen, there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary; just random citizens purchasing their items and cashiers ringing them up.

"What is it?" Clark asked.

Nephrite didn't respond to Clark. Instead he looked closer at the paused footage…and smiled. It was a very devilish smile that sent a chill down the two guards' backs.

"There it is." Nephrite said to himself.

"What? What do you see?" Clark almost begged an answer to.

Nephrite pointed to the lone man who stood at the register with a large bag of the Magical-Gro potting soil under his arm. He was a tall, skinny older man who dressed in raggedy clothes and had the face of a golem.

"He's the one." Nephrite confirmed.

"He definitely is a looker." Clark confessed. "But we shouldn't make snappy judgment calls—Hey!"

Without another word, Nephrite hurried out of the security camera room and ran right down the halls towards the massive hardware store itself. Clark followed right along behind him. Nephrite went through different isles—grabbing things off of the shelves that Clark assumed he needed to help them. He took a match, a bit of spray paint, and oil. Clark already had a bad feeling about what he was planning to do.

Finally, Nephrite ran towards the half empty cash register that was luckily closed for the night. Nephrite ran right to it and placed the items he picked out to the side. Clark joined him only seconds before the long-haired knight began to open the spray paint bottle.

"Y'know, there are better places to spray paint." Clark noted.

"Be quiet. I need to focus."

Nephrite began to spray down the register's metal surface with red paint. Clark had to look around and assure people at neighboring registers that it's all a part of an investigation. He feared if the boss of the establishment sees what was happening, he'd kick the both of them out any minute now.

Nephrite had finished praying down the register's free space in red. Then from there, he opened the small bottle of oil and poured it onto the paint. He made sure to pour it in a way that it would make a picture of something. It looked like a strange emblem of a pentagram.

"Now, watch and learn." Nephrite said.

He lit the match and dropped it right onto the oil-made pentagram. As expected, the oil caught fire and circled the entire pattern in its blaze. Naturally, this frightened the customers with some backing away from the scene all together.

"Nephrite, this is crazy!" Clark said, "You're going to—"

Before Clark could say or do anything, he was silenced by what had happened next. The fire that burned its bright color had suddenly shifted to that of an ominous shade of blue. The burning of the pentagram also seemed to have done something to the spray paint as well. Because suddenly, all that paint had oozed itself off of the register and formed into a solid humanoid figure, barely two feet tall. The figure began to form detail and with it, sharp spikes on its body, long bony fingers, and an elongated snout filled with claws.

"Is that…?" Clark began.

"Yes." Nephrite nodded. "This is the demon that kidnapped Naru."

"But…how?"

"The Youkai made a fatal error in believing that disguising itself as human would've been enough to stop me." Nephrite explained. "I am a master at illusions. Parlor tricks such as this are useless to me. I was able to see through its ruse the moment I saw him."

"And all this?" Clark referred to the blue flames

Just then, the red paint-made figure flew into Nephrite's hand. It was an ugly creature that felt and looked more like a wax doll.

"This will act as our tracker." Nephrite said, "I used its fingerprints and created this to find the creature. It will begin to vibrate the closer we get to the demon and Naru's location. Come now. We've gotten what we needed from here."

Nephrite simply walked away from the scene, towards the exit. Clark was left in a bit of a pickle with the blue flames burning away the register. He was lucky to have acted fast and brought the tarp with him while Nephrite was running through the matches isle. He took the tarp and draped it over the flames; unbeknownst to the customers behind him, that he only needed to use his super breath to blow away the flames just as the tarp came down.

He sighed a breath of relief but could feel lingering stares from behind him by the customers. Some looked over in confusion, while others were a tad frightened by the whole event. Clark turned and gave them his best smile to say;

"Oh…um…welp…happy shopping everybody!"

That was the best Clark could come up with before hurrying out of the store.

* * *

Nephrite soared across the sky using strange green aura under his feet. In his hand, he began to feel the statue vibrate in his grasp the more South he went. Following right behind him was Superman, who easily caught up with Nephrite and wasn't too happy about his actions.

"Oh, hey. Thanks for waiting for me." Superman said sarcastically.

"We're getting close." Nephrite replied. "The statue is starting to react the farther South we fly. It won't be long before we find Naru."

There was a small silence between the two of them besides the sound of Superman's cape flowing in the wind. Nephrite began to take notice of the silence and looked over towards the Man of Steel. He seemed to have something on his mind while starring at the long-haired knight. It was a tad uncomfortable in Nephrite's opinion.

"What is it?" He finally asked.

"I didn't really get to ask since I was more focused on Naru's safety, but…why do all this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you so fixated on saving Naru? Doesn't seem like your usual MO to worry about a human; let alone a junior high student."

That seemed to touch a nerve for the Dark Kingdom servant judging by the twitch in his eyebrow. "That's none of your concern." He replied.

"Actually, it is. _I'm_ the one helping you here." Superman reminded. "At the very least, you owe me an explanation."

Nephrite didn't want to have to go into a squabble at the moment. He also realized that Superman would not quit asking him about it until he came clean with his intentions. He cursed the Man of Steel for his pestering. It _would_ be quicker to lie, but knowing his Kryptonian hearing, he'd detect that Nephrite was lying via rapid heartbeats. There was no way to lie himself out of this.

Nephrite let out an agitated sigh before fading into silence once more. Superman was even more curious as to why it was so difficult for Dark Kingdom knight to be honest with him. Was there a nefarious plot that Nephrite was trying to hide? Not that it mattered since all Superman needed to do was hear his heartbeat for any irregularities as a sign of lying.

Nephrite swallowed his pride and finally spoke up.

"That girl…she helped me."

Supes' curiosity was piqued even more. He continued to hear him out.

"When I first arrived here, we ran into each other by accident." Nephrite expounded. "She was being mugged by a bunch of thugs and I intervened out of curiosity. She thanked me and told me that she was in my debt." Nephrite scoffed. "Imagine my surprise to such a pitiful gesture."

"And yet, you accepted it."

The pompousness in Nephrite immediately left him; replaced with bashfulness that resembled a schoolboy getting caught in his crush. It was almost humorous to Superman.

"Anyway, since then she did nothing but become an insufferable throne in my side—Popping up in unexpected places. And when she _did_ show up, she would annoy me with wanting to spend time with each other. She was riddled with the energy to partake in trivial walks, and mundane conversations of the dull human affairs she had done the days before."

It seemed Nephrite had really put detail into his time with Naru in Superman's opinion. He was surprised all this had been going on while he was busy working with Usagi and the rest of the team.

"It's was vexing, and she didn't seem to stop. I was mortified, displeased, exhausted, and…intrigued."

That came as a surprise for Superman to hear something like _that_ from the Dark Kingdom knight.

"I was…curious…curious to wonder why she talked so feverishly about insignificant happenings such as walks through the malls or associating with friends." Nephrite wondered. "Was there really such an attraction to waste precious time goofing off with friends when there are more pressing matters to attend to?"

"Sounds to me like you don't get out much…" Superman smiled.

"Hmph. Mock me if you will, but I stand by my words. I don't know _why_ the time I spent listening to her prattle on about negligible things was so…relaxing to me…When I'm with her I feel…strange. It's as though my guard is down, and I can feel myself around her. At first, I thought it was a useless emotion that she triggered using some kind of trick but…now I just don't know."

Superman knew the answer all too well, that he couldn't keep an empathetic smile off his face.

"That's called love, Nephrite."

The knight looked at Superman as if he spoke of something so ridiculous, that he swore he heard things.

"Not romantically, of course, but one can't deny that you _do_ care for Naru. You feel a close bond with her that's made you protective of her well-being."

"That is not what—"

"You don't have to try and hide it from me. I get it." Clark smiled. "To have someone you care about so strongly that it can change your whole world view—I completely understand. It's both liberating and frightening. To feel something for someone so pure yet be worried about their well-being every second of the time."

Nephrite recognized such a feeling. It was the same with Naru, though he never wanted to admit it. There was definitely a protectiveness to him whenever he would be with Naru. But there were also times where he _would_ listen intently whenever she talked about her daily things. School, grades, friends, and other small things that she did. It was…nice, simple—a strange somberness to his usual duties for the Great Ruler and Queen Beryl.

For a while, he actually felt…happy.

"We're wasting time with this idle chatting. The statue is reacting strongly. We're close." Nephrite said.

Superman smirked. "Lead the way."

* * *

Anxiety had begun to set in as Usagi went running every which way like a chicken with her head cut off. She had split up from Ami and Rei to cover more ground with Luna on her shoulder as look out. She rushed through crowds of people and ran in every eerie area she saw. She didn't even care about how scary they may have been. All that mattered to her was finding her best friend. With each passing minute of unsuccessful searching, she had begun to grow desperate of the situation.

Finally, she came to a halt once she reached a more secluded block; panting harshly, sweating through her outfit.

"Usagi, you need to calm yourself." Luna begged. "I know you're worried for your friend, but you can't keep running yourself ragged for—"

"…my fault."

Luna edged in closer to the exhausted Usagi. "What?"

"It's…it's my fault…She was put in danger because of me…If she didn't know me…! If only I wasn't…!" Usagi had begun to burst into the tears she swore she wouldn't let fall down her cheeks. However, at her weakest moment, she could no longer hold them back.

"And now…! All I can do…! Is just sit here and cry about it…!" She sobbed. "I couldn't…! I couldn't even protect _one_ friend from all of this…I-I thought…! I thought I could be a great hero like Superman but…who was I kidding…! I-I'm…I-I'm—"

The last bit of words were slapped right out of Usagi's mouth. Not a hard slap, but enough to give her attention towards the black cat on her shoulder.

"Are you done, yet? Because I am." Luna said nonchalantly.

For a moment, Usagi was confused. Not of the slap, but how calm she seemed to be at the moment.

"The Usagi _I_ know isn't the kind of crybaby who stops and pouts when she can't get her way. Yeah, she's still a whiney nitwit who'd rather care about boys than training…but there's one thing she is most definitely not, and that's a quitter."

Luna leaped off of Usagi's shoulder and looked up at the crying blonde with her red eyes.

"I know this may seem hard now, but I know you won't give up so easily. You're Usagi Tsukino; The Sailor Moon guardian. And you'd never let something like this stop you from saving those in need. Remember, you fight for Love and for Justice. You are Sailor Moon. And in the name of the moon…"

Usagi noticed Luna's pause; waiting for her to finish it off. Usagi found it sort of funny that Luna would be the one to hype her up in such a way, given how stuck up she usually is. Usagi could see that she was just trying to cheer the down Sailor Scout up.

She wiped her tears and said confidently as she did her signature pose. "…I'll punish you…thanks, Luna."

Luna smiled right along with Usagi. As much as she wanted Usagi to take things more seriously, she also didn't want her to be an absolute stick-in-the-mud.

Just as the two were having such a tender moment, Usagi's attention was pointed upward, just in time to see Two unknown objects flying across the starry night sky. She looked a bit closer to discover that one had a flowing cape on its back, while the other had long hair dancing in the wind.

"Hey! That's Superman!" Usagi pointed out.

"You're right! And that other figure must be Nephrite!" Luna said.

"Well, what're we standing around for? Let's follow them!" Usagi decided. She rose her hand and shouted, "Moon Prism Power! Make up!"

* * *

Both Superman and Nephrite descended upon an abandoned warehouse off the coast of Juban's pier. The sounds of the ocean and cawing seagull set the tone of the murky environment. The main entrance appeared to have been tampered with as the lock was broken into.

"This is it." Nephrite confirmed.

Superman looked through the door and got the layout of the entire warehouse. It housed an old, destroyed sailing boat, with the upper levels holding crates against the brick walls. The only sources of light came from the window openings on the ceilings. Hoisted up above by two chains hanging off of her wrists was Naru.

"She's here." Superman confirmed.

"Is she alright?" Nephrite asked.

"Yes." Superman nodded. "Now, remember the plan; we start with—"

Superman barely got the explain the plan, before Nephrite lifted his palm forward and from it shot a burst of silver energy. The blast hit the door with the force of a giant bartering ram and reduced the closed-off entrance into rubble. Through the smoke, Nephrite ran right into the warehouse, leaving Superman to sigh in annoyance. In his experience, brashness like this could only rival the Barry Allen's.

Superman joined up with Nephrite and looked up into the dark dimly lit warehouse to in fact see Naru chained up above them.

"Naru!" Nephrite called out.

The young girl reacted to the sound of her name by wincing. She slowly opened her eyes and regained consciousness. Through her fuzzy vision, she could see the two figures below as a dark blue figure with long brown hair, standing next to who she could obviously describe as Superman.

"Ugh…W-Wait…Sanjouin-san…? What's going on?"

Suddenly, a strange light had formed around Naru's body and transformed into an eerie-looking sphere that surrounded her like a cage. The orb seemed to be infused with a swirling cloud.

"Naru!" Nephrite called out to.

"S-Sanjouin-san!" She cried frantically.

Just then, all three of them heard echoing laughter that seemed to resonate within the dark warehouse like a ghost. Superman quickly pinpointed the origin to the upper left scaffold. The two saw the appearance of the young man with peach-brown hair and that wicked grin of his; dressed in the same suit as Nephrite.

"Welcome, Nephrite." Zoisite said, leaning forward onto the bars. "And a salutations to you as well, Man of Steel."

"So, _you're_ Zoisite." Superman said.

"Nice of your to know my name." Zoisite said. "Though I wished it was under better circumstances. You're quite the favorable one to Queen Beryl and Brainiac."

"Feeling's mutual." Supes said sarcastically.

"Enough banter! Release Naru before I destroy you myself!" Nephrite threatened.

A small chuckle erupted from Zoisite. "I'll take that as confirmation that you _don't_ have the Silver Crystal."

"As if it'd matter." He figured. "Naturally you'd take the Crystal, then make a failed attempt to try and kill me along with Naru. However, you can't do away with me because that would be treason against the Queen. And killing Naru would ruin your chances of me giving it to you."

Wow~ You really _do_ care for the girl—so much so that if she died, you'd compromise our end goal. It's almost humorous. How could such a thing as _love_ possibly factor into your dullard little mind? Well, no matter. You'll be dead soon enough after I acquire the Silver Crystal."

"Hmph. If you want it so badly, why don't you come down here and get it?" Nephrite challenged, patting his pocket.

"No thank you. That's what I have minions for." Zoisite said slyly. " _I_ can't kill you, but a random Youma; _That's_ a different story."

Zoisite snapped his fingers. From the shadows of the warehouse appeared another creature from the back of the massive room. The being levitated into the air, above even Naru and simply stayed there for a moment. It removed its cloak to reveal an oddity that was covered in sharpened tiny blades for skin, and sharp razor claws for fingers. Its head was elongated back into a sharp horn-like point, while its eyes were red. To add to its grotesque appearance were large teeth that resembled the very blades that were all around it.

 ** _"Nephrite…"_** It growled, **_"How disappointing that you would become such a nuisance to our Queen's resurrection. To care for a human? How pathetic. A Dark Kingdom resident has no need for such lowly feelings as love. It only serves to weaken you. Here, let me show you!"_**

The bladed being soared down towards Nephrite with sharp bladed hands pointed right at him. Nephrite put his arms up to black the attack and prepared for the worst as it flew within inches of hitting him. He prepared…however, felt nothing.

Nephrite looked back up and saw that the blades had stopped within a small space between each other. He also saw that the bladed hand had been stopped by Superman's tight grip around them. It was almost amazing to see how easily the Man of Steel could easily hold the blades in his grasp without a single cut or even the smallest scrape.

"You're wrong, monster." Superman said. "Love doesn't weaken you at all. It's how you apply it that matters. And it can come in many ways and shapes. When it comes to love…" He looked back at Nephrite with a warm smile on his face. "…everyone has a story to tell."

Nephrite rolled his eyes, but none the less smirked back with a nod.

Superman turned back towards the flying bladed monster, who was struggling to break free from the Man of Steel's clutches.

"Now, how about you and I take this outside."

Superman released the blades and flew right towards the monster with enough force to break the very sound barrier and slam both of them through the roof. Wherever they went, the sounds of their struggle across the sky sounded off one and continued to go on in the background.

Meanwhile, Nephrite's attention back to Naru. She was obviously frightened not only from being trapped in the strange orb, but at the situation she had been put into. She struggled to try and break free of her chains but to no avail. She seemed to have lost hope of getting free.

"Naru! Just stay there! I'm coming to get you!" Nephrite assured her.

Naru was suddenly calmed by those words from Nephrite. She didn't know how he'd be able to do it, but she somehow put her trust in him enough to remain still.

"Okay…" She nodded.

"Oh, please."

Both of them looked back over towards Zoisite, who had leaped from the scaffold and easily landed onto ground level with Nephrite.

"This pathetic spectacle has run its course." Zoisite said, slowly strolling towards Nephrite. "It's become clear that you don't have the Silver Crystal."

"You won't know unless you come over here." Nephrite said with a cocky grin.

"How long are you gonna milk this? I know you don't. What's worse is that you lie to me all in the name of this pathetic romance of yours. Come on, this has to be some kind of ruse to trick her, right?"

Naru had listened in on Zoisite's words for a moment for curiosity's sake. Nephrite noticed this, but kept his eyes trained on his ex-brethren just in case he tried to pull something.

"Clearly those feelings of yours are non-existent. You and I both know that we Dark Kingdom Knights know not of _love._ So why did you _really_ come here?"

Nephrite didn't say right away what he had felt. He didn't even want to look at Naru, for fear of seeing her doubt in his intentions to saving her. He looked deep into himself for the proper answer to not only to throw into Zoisite's face…but to also concede in Naru what he wanted to say. It was a shame that it took her being kidnapped to realize how much he truly did care for the human. Though their time was short and far between, he did admit that they were something he wanted to cherish for all eternity. There was his answer.

"You want to know why I'm here?"

Zoisite stopped just a few feet away from him in confusion.

"My reason for being here is but a simple one…"

Nephrite finally looked up at Naru, who was distressed to know his answer herself. However, she didn't account for him to have such tender eyes aimed straight at hers. It honestly made her cheeks go red with anticipation.

"Naru…" Nephrite began. "I want you to know this…I came for you. I came here not to hand over the Silver Crystal, but…because I wanted to save you."

Naru's heart went a flutter. Even such a dire situation, she couldn't help but feel such a warm sensation well up inside her. Just from those words from Nephrite, she found tears forming in her eyes and slowly streaming down her cheeks.

"Please…please, save me." Naru said with a tearful smile.

Nephrite nodded. "I will…or should I say _we_ will."

Zoisite had grown so annoyed by the senseless moment, that it didn't register right away what Nephrite had just said. "Wait…you said _we_?"

"That's right, you big jerk!"

Suddenly, Zoisite looked back towards the very top of the massive back entrance. Right on top of its ledge behind Naru, were three familiar faces who had arrived just in the nick of time. The three were illuminated by the opening in the roof, where the full moon shined its pale light upon the Sailor Scouts.; Sailor Moon, Mercury, and Mars.

"How dare you mess with an innocent girl who's in love! That's truly despicable!" Sailor Moon proclaimed.

"Well, well, the surprises never cease, do they?" Zoisite figured.

Naru turned to see three familiar faces dressed in rather odd uniforms. The face that stood out the most however was the pig-tailed goofball she'd always known.

"U-Usagi?-!" Naru said in shock. "Is that really _you,_ Usagi?-!"

"Naru…!" Usagi said graciously, before realizing what she had done.

"Wait! Is that Ami too? And the priestess? W-What're you guys wearing?" Naru questioned.

"Ah! I-I can imagine this is all a bit sudden, but I'll explain later!" Usagi said nervously.

"That's right!" Mercury stated as she performed her signature pose at Zoisite. "In the name of Mercury, douse yourself in water, and repent!"

"In the name of Mars, I'll chastise you!" Mars stated as well in her signature pose.

"And in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!" Sailor Moon finished with her pose.

Zoisite was unimpressed by the arrival of the cavalry as he scoffed at their presence. "As mortifying as those introductions were, I'll have to make this endeavor quick."

Zoisite rose his palm, and from it spiraled a wave of flower petals, that transformed into sharp spikes. They flew from his hand and went straight for the Scouts; narrowly missing the frightened Naru.

The scouts were more than able to leap out of the path and land on the scaffolds—some more gracefully than others (Usagi landing flat on her face)

Nephrite took that opportunity to rush Zoisite with a cocked fist. Zoisite saw this, and narrowly dodged it with a sharpened petal in hand. He thrusted the blade forward towards Nephrite, but missed by a hair, as Nephrite backed away just in time.

"You've got some nerve, Nephrite." Zoisite said. "Queen Beryl will have your head for this once she catches word of your betrayal."

Nephrite didn't even bother to think about what Queen Beryl would do anymore. Instead he let out a small chuckle that took Zoisite by surprise.

"Tell the Queen whatever you like." Nephrite proclaimed. "I know I have no place in the Dark Kingdom anymore. And to be quite honest…I'd want nothing more."

"What?" Zoisite said vexingly with furrowed brows.

"My usefulness to the Great Ruler is but a meager one. Once she's awakened, we as the Knights will only serve as fuel for her power. I accepted that because I knew there'd be no reason for me to live beyond that day…until now. As such, I'll gladly leave the Dark Kingdom if it means I have something worth living for."

This upset Zoisite immensely. Enough to erupt a wave of Sakura petals to surround him in a burst of furious wind. The very air became intense with just his aura alone.

"After everything our Great Ruler has done for us, _THIS_ is how you repay her? You continuously disappoint me, Nephrite!"

Zoisite's anger sent spiraling blades right towards Nephrite. However, his move didn't connect as he wanted.

"Bubble Spray!" Ami announced.

Within only a matter of seconds, a massive wave of pure, thick mist surrounded the entire area. It completely masked Zoisite's vision.

"Damn! Where are you?-!" He yelled.

Within that mist, the three scouts joined Nephrite's side and performed the signature attacks. Usagi removed her tiara as it glowed into its godly light, while Rei put her hand together to form her burning fire attack. Nephrite only added to the full-on attack by concentrating his powers into his own signature move.

"Stars of the Universe, lend me your power now…"

"Moon Tiara…!"

"Fire…!"

"Star light…!"

"ACTION/SOUL/ATTACK!"

In complete unison, all three attacks formed into one mighty blow—Sailor Moon's glowing tiara, fused with the fire from Rei, and finally deadly mist-like blast from Nephrite's hands. All three attacks created a giant orb that came tunneling right at the blinded Zoisite.

Out of sheer instinct of his own demise, Zoisite immediately jumped out of the path of whatever had been gunning for him. Just in time, he narrowly dodged the incoming attack as it blasted right through the other side of the warehouse with a devastating explosion. The blast had been strong enough to almost make Naru fall from her chains. Thankfully the chains still held in-tact, much to her relief.

Meanwhile below, the mist had finally cleared, revealing the three Sailor scouts and the ex-Dark Kingdom Knight. Floating above them was of course Zoisite, who had been shaken up by narrowly escaping death. It had been enough to even have him winded in a panic.

"Y-You…! You could've…!" Zoisite breathed bitterly. "You may have won this time Sailor Scouts…but I swear I'll destroy you all…and as for you, Nephrite…I hope you enjoy this victory! For when the Great Ruler awakens, _you_ will be the first of many to bear witness to her wrath!"

With that last warning, Zoisite had surrounded himself in a spiral of flower petals that completely submerged him. Just as the petals disappeared, so too did Zoisite; announcing his escape for another day.

"He's gone…" Sailor Mars confirmed.

"Phew! That's a relief." Sailor Moon sighed.

From above where the hole had been made prior, Luna along with Lois looked down at the ground in relief that all had been settled.

"They've won…" Luna said.

"'Bout time, too. This other fight was starting to get boring." Lois said. She turned towards the edge of the roof and looked down at the back of the warehouse where another battle had been going on. Then again, it was less of a battle and more of a small, one-sided tussle.

"Yo, Superman! Let's wrap this up already!" Lois called.

Down below, the Man of Steel had more then easily been able to dodge every attack that the bladed monster threw at him—almost as though he were dodging a fly. Despite the monster's exhaustion, Superman didn't even break a sweat, and almost looked bored with the creature.

"Good." He said in relief.

 ** _"You…! How dare you mock me?-!"_** The creature said between pants. ** _"Very well…! Prepare to witness the true power of The Clawed Beast!"_**

The monster came tunneling at Superman, swinging madly his sharp claws into a practical wall of blades that came at the Man of Steel at speeds that could rival a locomotive…something Superman has famously been faster then, as he demonstrated by coming right at the monster head on.

"This is a new one I learned from one of those animes…" Superman said.

He cocked his fist back as he came within inches of the beast's killer attack.

"Consecutive Normal Punches."

Almost as if it were a mirage, Superman's fist had become many that that pelted the bladed creature and his attack like a barrage from a Gatling. However, the sheer air force of each punch was enough to shoot right through the blades and blast the monster into sheer oblivion. When the punches had finally ceased, the monster had been reduced to nothing but smaller bladed pieces that scattered across the pier and right into the ocean ahead of him. All that had been left was the smallest remnants of blades that had evaporated into dissipating black mist.

"They don't call me the Man of _STEEL_ for nothing." Superman smiled.

* * *

The night grew quiet once again as the moon seemed to grow its brightest.

After such a tremendous situation she had been put in, it was only right to allow both Naru and Nephrite to have their well-deserved privacy. At first Usagi was unsure of it, but Superman insisted. That was enough for her to hesitantly allow it.

The two of them decided to spend a small moment with one another in a small park after dark, where they knew they could be alone. Neither really looked for a seat on the bench and settled for sitting underneath a tree. It was more relaxing to be lost in the light breeze of a warm night then in an old warehouse.

Nephrite sat back in silence; eyes closed as he reflected on his actions. He had attacked one of his own within the Dark Kingdom. No doubt Queen Beryl would have his head for his transgressions. He would have to go into hiding for the time being from her legion. However, that was no longer an option with Naru still in possible danger now that she's become involved. He would have to continue his risky streak and find a way.

Naru on the other hand, relished in the tender moment of being reunited with the love of her life. However, she couldn't ignore the obvious. Nephrite wasn't human; he was a monster who had the power to destroy people if he wanted to. She wondered if he had ever plotted to destroy her as well? That small bout of fear would most likely always be present…and yet she still couldn't just stay away from him. Nephrite still meant so much to her.

Neither could say how they truly felt right away. Instead, Naru broke the ice.

"Hey…on third avenue…there's this little place that serves the best chocolate parfait."

"Chocolate…parfait?" Nephrite questioned.

"Yeah." Naru said brightly. "Ever heard of them?"

"Uh…yes, of course." Nephrite answered.

Naru giggled. "That's a lie—a sweet little lie to make me believe we have something in common."

Nephrite smirked. "Perceptive as ever."

"I try." She said, sitting back onto the tree. "But anyway, I was wondering if you'd like to go with me sometime. I know it seems silly, but…I've always had thoughts about you going there with me and sharing a chocolate parfait. Who knows; maybe it's something you could use right about now; something to relax you."

Nephrite never really got the chance to experience much of life outside of gathering energy for the Great Ruler. Now that he was a fugitive, he figured it'd be nice to have such a small pleasure as eating confectionaries.

"I don't particularly know how to relax as you'd want…but…it does sound nice. Let's do it." Nephrite smiled.

His answer made Naru perk up with a gleam in her eyes. "Y-You mean it?"

"What? You think I'm lying to you again?"

Naru shook her head. "I can't wait. Oh, but I do hope your evil organization would give you a day off…you guys do that, right?"

The thought of Queen Beryl offering days off to her minions was completely insane. It was so outrageous that it erupted something in Nephrite that he hadn't felt in some time with genuine feelings. He began to chuckle to himself; trying his hardest to not let it show, but he couldn't even do that. Instead, he began to laugh to himself in the hardiest way he could.

"Yes, well I won't have to worry about that anymore." He smiled.

"Heh. Well, that's the first time I've seen you laugh." Naru noted.

The broke out into a small fit of laughter with one another. It was something both of them needed tonight after such a strenuous situation. Neither even cared about who could hear them. They were just happy to be together and share in a fit of laughter—something Nephrite never knew he _really_ needed.

* * *

A new day had risen for the Daily Planet: Juban district. Clark had been working hard on writing up a cover story for the recent events that took place a few nights ago. He certainly had a lot to go by with the plug for the new _Gaimon Depot_ and the bits of what happened with Naru's kidnapping that he could publish. After a few more keystrokes, he had finished his paper with a sigh of relief.

Just then, he noticed a presence sit right beside him onto his desk. He could recognize those stocking-wrapped legs of hers anywhere. He also noticed a carrying bag that she parked near the desk as well. Seeing that almost disappointed Clark.

"You're leaving." Clark said disheartenedly.

"Yes, unfortunately." Lois replied. "Seems 'ol Perry can't even change his socks without me mentioning it to him. Plane leaves in another hour."

"It'll be a lil lonely here without you." Clark confessed.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find some friends to keep your attention." Lois came in close. "Besides, you gave plenty _attention_ to me last night~"

"I do my best." Clark smiled, as he stood up. "I'll miss you, sweetie."

"Oh, I'll miss you too, ya big lug." Lois said as she embraced Clark as tight as she could. She then placed a passionate kiss on his lips; one that he gratefully returned the favor. He had longed to feel Lois in his arms again, and to feel her soft lips against his. It was such a shame that he had to say farewell so soon.

Both ceased the kiss and quietly held each other for a few moments; just to keep the feeling in their memories until they met again.

"I love you." Clark whispered.

"I love you too, Clark." Lois replied. "See ya back home."

With those last words, Lois released Clark and went on her way out of Clark's office and down the hall. She certainly caught the eyes of many of the other workers; both male and female alike. What was to be expected when you have one of the world's famous reporters strolling right through your newspaper company. She was practically a superstar.

Clark wanted to see her off until she got into the elevator, before returning to his office. He went back to his seat, just in time for his boss, Mr. Yamazaki, to step right in. He seemed to be a tad preoccupied with watching Lois leave the office.

"My, my. It's hard to believe that we had someone as illustrious as _the_ Lois Lane within our building."

"Heh, well, miracles _do_ happen." Clark said, getting back to typing.

"Yes…speaking of miracles, we have a new employee whose joined our firm."

"Do we?"

"Yes. I wanted to introduce him to you since he said he'd like to go into investigative journalism and reporting; much like you." He waved someone over from outside Clark's office. "Please, come in."

Clark heard footsteps step into his office, before stopping right in front of his desk. Clark did not even look up at him to know who it was. He only smiled and said; "Mr. Yamazaki, I'll gladly give him the rest of the tour around here if, you don't mind."

"Oh, well thank you." Mr. Yamazaki smiled in relief. "I got enough paperwork as is…"

The old boss shuffled on back towards his office, while Clark was left alone with the new guy. He had finished his work and finally looked up at him. Clark was certainly surprised by the appearance of this _new_ employee.

His brown wavy hair had been cut short, while he adopted Clark's preference in glasses. He was dressed in rather humbling clothes of a sweater, a pair of slacks, and shoes. Still, they looked relatively new compared to Clark's clothes.

"So, _this_ was what you meant when you said you wanted to keep hidden." Clark said.

"I figured I'd stick around in the city just in case." Nephrite stated. "I've submerged my aura to blend in with the rest of the humans. The Dark Kingdom will never be able to find me."

"That's a relief, but why the Planet?"

"Because you once told me that everyone ' _had a story to tell'_. You were right." Nephrite smirked. "Because of those words, I realized that I too had a story worth telling; not just for myself, but—"

"Oh! I'm sorry, did I interrupt you two?"

The two men looked over towards the entrance to Clark's office to find Naru in her school uniform and bag in hand. She seemed to have been holding something behind her back.

"Naru, how've you been?" Clark asked.

"Oh, I'm doing just fine, Kent-san! I just came to deliver something to Sanjouin-san."

"Hm? Me?"

"Yes. Since this is your first day as a human n' all, I thought…well…" Her cheeks went red as she presented what was behind her back to Nephrite. "…I made you this."

It was a pink small box lunch that was wrapped in a red bow. The gesture was completely new to Nephrite. She'd never made him a box lunch before, which made it all the more special to him.

"Thank you, Naru." Nephrite smiled as he took the box lunch. "I can't wait to try it."

A big smile formed on Naru's face as she went red in the face with steam radiating off of her very cheeks. "T-Thank you! I-I should, uh, get going to that, uh, that place with the, a-and uh, books to—okay, bye!"

Naru took off towards the elevator; definitely embarrassed for messing up her words in front of the one person she's ever really loved. Nephrite wouldn't admit it, but he always adored seeing Naru's cute side like that. He of course didn't think of her as so much a mate, as he did a very close friend worth protecting from evil. And that was more than enough for him.

"She deserves to continue _her_ story." Nephrite said. "And I'll ensure she does."

"And I'll be here to make sure you _both_ do." Clark said, "Though, I can't necessarily forgive the wrong you've done, I can't think of a greater path towards redemption."

Clark offered his hand to the ex-Dark Kingdom Knight. He didn't believe in his wildest dreams that he'd be shaking hands with his enemy, but the times have definitely changed. He returned the gesture with a smile on his face.

"Welcome to the Planet, Mr. Sanjouin." Clark said.

Sanjouin nodded. "It's good to be here, Mr. Kent."


	7. Race for the Crystal Arc: Part 1

**_Hey everyone._**

 _ **It has been a LOOOOONG while since I actually updated this story and for that I am deeply sorry. My job just took most of my time that I never got to come back to this. But here I am, updating at least somewhat now that summer is approaching. So then, here it is for the next chapter.**_

 _ **Sailor Moon hasn't been getting a lot of attention from me for a while, but I DO hope to actually sit down and watch it again just as a regular viewer and not as references for this story.**_

 _ **As for Superman news, I'm a lil ticked off really. I've been waiting for another Superman movie for ages, and what do we get? A Supergirl movie that MIGHT change everything that was set up in the DCEU that I ACTUALLY LIKED. It doesn't NEED to be changed at all. Krypton's gone, and Clark and Kara are the last few survivors. There. No difference at all. Why change the rich history that Man of Steel already provided? So damn stupid. I hope this is all just a rumor though.**_

 _ **Anyway, enough ranting. let's get back to the action.**_

 ** _REMINDER: For anyone curious about what inspired this story, check out the artist's Tumblr, tiggersmoke and her cute picture of Superman and Sailor Moon._**

 ** _DISCLAIMER_** ** _: I OWN NOTHING. Superman and Sailor Moon (and other characters) belong to their respected creators and NOT ME. Please support these characters and their official releases._**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 7: Race for the Crystal Arc: Pt. 1_**

* * *

Deep within the confines of the Dark Kingdom's domain, a pathway that was submerged in the shadows laid. The ambiance was quiet with nothing but the ominous feeling of evil lurking in every crevice. However, further down, the eerie glow of a red light could be seen after only a few steps into the dark depths. The light grew brighter and brighter, only to reveal a lone Queen Beryl—down on her knees in the presence of what she had been praying to. It emerged as a strange, and massive sphere of pure, glowing red energy, crystalized and frozen in time. It lied in a dark cave—submerged in the depths of the underground as if it were fused with its infrastructure.

"Awaken Great Ruler." Queen Beryl said, "To you I offer vital energy."

Her hands, presented to the giant red emerald structure, was a white orb of swirling energy that glowed a radiance unlike anything she had given before.

"Hear my plea, and awaken once more. Great Ruler of ours; now is the time! Arise, oh great one!"

The orb of energy had formed a spiraling sonic wave that flew into the structure and created a whirlwind within it. The energy had sent shockwaves across the cave. The red emerald had begun to glow just as the whirlwind dissipated and a small universe had formed in its confines.

Above the sphere was the bust of a terrifying demon's head that had molded into the cave. On its forehead was a red jewel that pulsated like a living heart.

Just then, the sphere had blinked until it could finally glow in its entirety.

 ** _"So…it seems as though the energy that has been collected has stern me from my long sleep…"_**

"Y-Yes, Great Ruler! What an auspicious moment…!" Beryl said joyously with a groveling bow. "How we have waited for this to happen!"

 ** _"Yes…but I'm afraid that this will not be enough…"_**

"What?"

 ** _"I can feel myself being drawn back into a relentless slumber…We must locate the legendary Silver Crystal at once. Without it, my resurrection will prove impossible."_**

"Rest assured, your highness, we _will_ uncover its location." Queen Beryl said.

"Or Perhaps your methods are no longer an option."

Queen Beryl was taken aback by the sound of another voice that dared to step foot into a holy domain such as the Great Ruler's dwelling. She turned to see the familiar metallic armor and green skin that angered her so. Even his posture with his arms behind his back and that haughty attitude was enough to make her rise to her feet.

"You! How dare you—"

"You will be silent, woman." Brainiac said harshly. "My business resides with the one you call _Great Ruler_."

"You have no right to stand in the presence of our God! Begone!" Queen Beryl yelled.

 ** _"Stand down, Beryl."_**

The red-headed queen was about to speak out, but quickly remembered her place, and took a knee in surrender. Though she did not waver her hateful stare towards the green-skinned alien.

 ** _"You are one of the remaining Coluans of Yod-Colu. Your planet was burned asunder. And yet, you survived."_**

"Naturally through my extraordinary intelligence, it was merely a hindrance to escape oblivion with the remains of my people—preserved for all time. Now I seek to continue my quest of knowledge by allying myself with your legion."

Brainiac simply walked up to the giant red emerald; much to Queen Beryl's dismay, and spoke to it as if it were nothing more then another person to conversate with.

"I have done research on your Seven Great Youma, and have made preparations to hunt them down. They will serve to further our plans against the Kryptonian and the Sailor harlots by being the guide towards locating this Silver Crystal."

 ** _"Yes…The Seven Great Youma. In their defeat, they will produce the Rainbow Crystals. Once it is complete, it will make the Silver Crystal reveal itself onto us."_**

"Y-Your majesty, if I may…" Announced Queen Beryl, "…The Youma have been hidden on Earth for ions…how will we find them?"

"Fear not, Beryl…" Brainiac said, looking over his shoulder. "This is where your subjects will be of use."

* * *

"…As such, once the Seven Great Youma are killed, each will produce a piece of the Rainbow Crystal. Only then will the legendary Silver Crystal be found."

The information was heard loud and clear by the last two subordinates of the Dark Kingdom that Queen Beryl had within the throne room. Zoisite had already been told of the Youma by his higher up, and was able to follow the procedures needed.

"I remember everything of the Seven Youma." Said a new Knight to reveal himself.

This man was as handsome as anyone could imagine with long, flowing silver hair and tanned skin that made great note of his blue eyes. He wore the suit of all the Knights, except his was unbuttoned near the collar, and he adorned a white long cape. His physical presence was obvious by the admiration Zoisite looked at him with.

"They were the strongest of our ranks. However, they all were sealed away by our enemies." Kunzite finished.

"Your memory serves you well." Queen Beryl nodded. "The legendary Seven Great Youma were the most powerful warriors of our legion. Until that day when we suffered a great loss at the hands of Queen Serenity. That coward sealed away the Seven warriors into separate fragments on Earth—thus known as the Rainbow Crystals."

"So, what has become of the Seven Youma?" Zoisite questioned.

"Found."

All attention turned towards the sudden appearance of the towering alien known as Brainiac, who appeared through a holographic portal in the flesh. A vein appeared on Queen Beryl's forehead at the sight of him for earlier embarrassing her in the presence of Queen Metaria.

"The so-called Seven Youma were relieved of their memories as vicious creatures of war, and were revived as humans."

"I see…" Zoisite said. "So, we'll just need to find and kill the humans that the rainbow crystals reside in."

"Precisely." Brainiac nodded. "They all happen to be in Juban, Japan. This will be our final assault against the wretched scouts and the Kryptonian. Your last two allies may have failed in this task, but rest assured, they will be annihilated in due time."

"Hmm, very well." Kunzite said, "So then, what exactly will you need from us?"

"I would assume it obvious." Queen Beryl said, "You two will assist Brainiac in retrieving the Rainbow Crystals—the first being the red Crystal. That is a task I leave up to you, Zoisite"

"As you wish, my Queen." Zoisite smirked with a respectable bow.

"And you, Kunzite, will go in search of the orange crystal."

"But of course, your majesty." Kunzite said with bow as well.

"And I shall uncover the location of the remaining myself." Brainiac proclaimed.

"Excellent." Queen Beryl said with a toothy grin. "Soon, our Great Ruler will arise, and we will finally take our rightful place as the superior beings across the cosmos. Our Great Ruler _will_ reign supreme, and the Sailor Scouts along with the Kryptonian will tremble at our might…or _die_ trying."

* * *

 _"SAI-LOR-V!"_

 _"A NEW BLOCKBUSTER ANIMATED MOVIE: SAILOR V! COMING SOON TO A THEATER NEAR YOU!"_

The building monitor played a trailer of the newest animated film to appear in theaters soon. It certainly looked like a new big hit to the wandering reporter who happened to have the time to watch it from a bench.

"Wow." Clark said to himself while drinking his coffee. "They're making movies about every superhero nowadays. Wonder if _I'll_ ever get one? I hope It's not just jokes and explosions like that _other_ superhero franchise…"

Clark had to imagine how Sailor V must've felt having a movie made from her exploits. Strange that she would even _have_ a film since Clark has barely seen or heard from this sailor uniform-wearing vigilante. He was even more confused as to how a bunch of animators could remember her, but not the chief of police. Something was amiss in Juban, more so than usual.

"Oh! Kent-san!"

Clark's turned his attention towards a rather husky voiced girl. She came running up to Clark from the small crowd of people on the sidewalk. She was out of breath but regained her composer to greet Clark with a bright smile.

The girl herself was a bit on the tall side with a slim figure. She had big green eyes, long wavy brown hair in a ponytail and pink rose earrings. She also wore a school's sailor uniform different from Rei, or Usagi and Ami. Hers was a of a brown color with longer skirt.

"Ah, Ms. Makoto." Clark waved. "On your way to your new school?"

"Yep. Just thought I'd drop off your lunch." She said, placing a wrapped lunch box onto the bench.

"Thank you, but y'know, you don't _have_ to keep making me lunch." Clark said graciously.

"Oh, no, I insist." Makoto said happily. "It's the least I can do since you helped me out against those jerks a while back."

"Well, technically, I didn't do much. _You_ had it all under control. I just sort of tripped myself most of the time." Clark chuckled.

"Still, I feel like I owe you, and that's that." Makoto said confidently. "Besides, Lane-san would be worried if I let you go around not eating for long periods of time."

"I suppose she would." Clark agreed.

"Yeah, I—Oh, crap! Look at the time!" Makoto panicked. "I gotta go! I'll see ya later today, Kent-san!"

The tall junior high student took off down the sidewalk, and ran through the crowd like they weren't even there. She certainly had the muscle to be able to do it. Clark waved her off and wanted to say goodbye, but she was long gone before he got the chance.

"What an energetic girl…" Clark noted. "So…she's one of them, Luna?"

The black cat appeared from behind the bench and leaped onto the seat next to Clark. Since they were in public, she had to speak with him telepathically using her abilities.

" _Yes. There's no doubt in my mind. She's definitely radiating with the aura of a Sailor scout._ " Luna confirmed.

" _Then it's best we keep her out of the loop until it's necessary._ " Clark replied through telepathy.

" _Why_?"

" _In my experience; normalcy is a luxury. Once you lose it, the responsibility weighs down on you._ "

" _I suppose you're right…_ " Luna figured. " _By the way, how did you even find her?_ "

Clark remembered where he had first found Makoto Kino.

" _Would you believe me if I said by accident? It was a few months back and she was in trouble with a bunch of guys who were harassing her in an alleyway. She clearly wasn't intimidated by them and they all were about to throw down. Luckily I was there and was my bumbling reporter self, so to speak. She even called me a 'whirlwind of clumsiness'._ "

" _A fitting name for your alter ego…_ " Luna noted.

" _Anyway, since then, Makoto claims to be in my debt and has even been making me box lunches every now and again. Even Lois, during her visit, was able to meet the tall girl and eat her delicious cooking._ "

 _"You were right to have called me to check her out. It certainly saves me the trouble of finding another helping hand for the Sailor Guardians. Just the three of them won't be enough for the coming threat of Queen Beryl or her Great Ruler. The more, the better."_

 _"Don't worry. We'll stop her and this Great Ruler of hers."_ Clark assured her. " _We just need to think ahead."_

" _You're right._ " Luna nodded.

Just then another small ad for the coming Sailor V film appeared on the monitor once again; instigating another quarry from Clark that Luna no doubt had on her mind as well.

" _So, what about this Sailor V?_ " Clark began. " _Have you been able to find her yet?_ "

Luna shook her head. " _Not a trace. She's as elusive as the Silver Crystal...I also know your next question_."

" _Is it that big a stretch? She practically wears the same uniform._ " Clark noted.

" _It's possible. I'll have to look more into it. But first, we need to keep an eye on this Makoto Kino._ "

* * *

Usagi thought about it for quite some time. She knew it would have to be explained since Naru was in new company with Nephrite. Now felt like the best time in Usagi's mind to give a proper explanation of things. That being said, she explained everything from being gifted as a Sailor Guardian to working with Superman—all while walking towards school on their usual route. Needless to say, it was a lot to unpack.

"And...that's that." Usagi finished explaining. "So...what do you think?"

For a moment, Naru couldn't say a thing. She seemed to still need a moment to process it all judging from the lost look on her face. Finally, Naru took a deep breath and put herself at ease in order to speak her mind.

"Okay, so…man, this is a lot to...Wow."

"I know it's all a bit confusing, but you have to believe me." Usagi pleaded.

"O-Oh, believe _me_ , I do...but it's just...wow." Naru said flabbergasted. "I can't believe it; _my_ friend, Usagi, was the famous Sailor Moon. _AND_ you get to work with _THE_ Superman! You're like a superhero!"

"Heh, heh, well I wouldn't go _that_ far, but i guess I _am_ pretty awesome, huh?" Usagi bragged with that big dumb grin of hers.

Naru sighed. "And yet, superhero or not, you're still _just_ Usagi..."

"Erk! Hey, what's _that_ supposed to mean?-!" Usagi huffed.

Naru disarmed her pouting with an innocent toothy grin, that got a small giggle out of Usagi to bring the mood back around. The two walked in silence for a short time to relish in the tweeting birds and passing bikes on such a warm and sunny morning. The ambiance of the morning brought a somber mood of relaxation. Usagi took it upon herself to use that to break the ice.

"I'm just glad you're safe, Naru. When you were kidnapped, I was so worried about you."

"I can imagine." Naru said, "But I wasn't scared one bit, because I had Nephrite to come and give me the strength to endure."

"Yeah...about that..." Usagi said hesitantly. "I wanted to ask about Nephrite. Do you… _really_ like him?"

Naru smile bashfully. "I do… _so_ , so much."

"But…you know he was evil, right?"

"I do. It wasn't hard to realize that he had something…wicked about him." Naru confessed. "but I also felt something else. There was a feeling of safety in him. I just knew that as long as he was there, I would be okay…I've never felt this way about a boy before but…" She placed a hand on her chest to feel her beating heart. "…I knew that night when he came for me…all along, it was love."

Usagi was overwhelmed with tears streaming down her big glassy eyes. "T-That was the m-most beautiful thing I-I've ever heard…!"

"Jeez, you don't have to get _that_ emotional over it." Naru giggled.

"B-But I can't help it!" Usagi said wiping her tears. "You found true love in such an unexpected place. I wish _I_ could be so lucky as to find a true love~ It's either Motoki or…"

"Or…?"

Usagi didn't want to mention Tuxedo Mask to Naru just yet, considering she herself didn't really know him all that well. She honestly felt a little embarrassed about not getting any closer to Tuxedo Mask, while Naru was able to have such a close relationship with Nephrite.

"Or…someone else!" She quickly stated with a nervous giggle. "Anyway, what're we doing here just talking about stuff like this?-! We got a school bell to beat! Hop to it!"

Without thinking, Usagi went running without Naru around the corner. Without paying attention, she ran right into someone and fell back onto her bottom.

"Ow ow…! I-I'm sorry about that…" Usagi apologized. "I didn't mean to—eck!"

Usagi reacted fearfully to the look of her situation; it turned out she ran right into a group of rather dangerous looking guys with one on them screaming out in agony while grasping his leg.

"Augh! My leg!" He yelled. "You broke my leg! I heard it snap! Like a pretzel!"

What followed were the other thugs looking her way with the most menacing eyes. Naru unfortunately turned at the corner at the worst time as she was also met with the same evil glare.

"Uh oh…" Naru muttered.

"Hey! You busted up my buddy's leg!" exclaimed one of the thugs, getting into Usagi's frightened face. "Well, what'cha gonna do about it, huh?"

Usagi was in a pinch. There was no way she could turn into Sailor Moon now with them finding out her secret identity. It was also the worst time for Naru seeing as she had no way to contact Nephrite because he didn't have a cell phone yet. The girls were only left to cower at the threatening men.

"She said she was sorry."

All attention suddenly went towards the new voice that appeared behind the thugs. They all turned and saw a single girl standing with arms crossed; looking at the men with furrowed brows. This girl certainly had one thing over the thugs; her height. She was almost the same height as the men, and definitely had the intimidating aura to boot. Her brunette hair was in a ponytail, while her uniform came with a longer skirt then Usagi's. She must've been from another school.

"I saw the whole thing, boys. She barely bumped into you." She said haughtily. "It's pretty low; conning an innocent girl like that."

"What'd you say?-!" One of the thugs said. They slowly came up to the tall girl with those same menacing eyes of theirs. "No one gets to talk to us like that, you lil—"

Before the man could even lift a finger to touch her, the tall girl grabbed the muscular man, and, with the slightest ease, threw his massive body right onto the ground like Judo.

"Why you!" The other thug yelled, running at him with a cocked fist.

However, the tall brunette simply side-stepped out of the punch's way and delivered a harsh knee right into his gut with enough force to make his body go limp.

The two thugs were easily subdued, leaving the last one quivering in fear of this mysterious girl's strength. Usagi and Naru were left speechless at her prowess against two fully-grown men.

"Wow…!" Usagi uttered.

Finally, the last thug couldn't take anymore, and took off from the ground and hightailed it outta there.

"Che. Coward." The girl spat.

She looked over towards the two girls; they seemed to be in junior high by the looks of their uniforms. She didn't want to end up scaring the two of them with her scary face. She relaxed and smiled her brightest smile that put the two at ease.

"You two okay?" She asked them.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, we're alright…!" Usagi said, still a little shaken up.

"We're okay. Thanks for the help." Naru said graciously.

"Good. Try to take better care of yourselves." She smiled coolly. "Gotta run."

As she did, Usagi noticed something glimmer in the sunlight. It revealed to be a glimmering rose earring. Whoever the tough girl was, she definitely had a style that was hard not to admire.

"Wow…" Naru uttered.

"So cool…" Usagi praised.

However, little did the two Juban students know, the tall girl, Makoto, was relishing at just how cool she appeared to be in front of the two underclass girls. She couldn't keep a big wide smile from appearing on her face.

" _I was cool! I was SO cool just now!_ " She thought to herself. " _I wish Mr. Kent was here to see me!"_

* * *

Arriving at school the earliest as per usual, Ami had already changed out of her usual shoes and into the uwabaki sandals that her fellow students wore as well. Just as she closed her small locker, what appeared behind it almost startled her.

"Eep!" She squealed.

"Ah! O-Oh, I'm sorry, Mizuno-san I-I didn't mean to...!"

Ami was quickly relieved at the sight of who startled her. It revealed to be a boy her age with brown short hair and big brown eyes. He seemed to be a tad nervous based on his body language, but was still able to smile upon making eye contact with Ami.

"Oh, Urawa-kun." Ami greeted. "Good morning."

"Uh, hey, good morning. A-And you can just call me Ryo. I-I mean if you _want_ to and all...! uh, nice weather, isn't it?"

"I guess so, but I feel that's not what you came to greet me for." Ami speculated.

"Heh, l-looks like you got me..." He said timidly. "Actually I wanted to talk to you about—"

"MADE IT!-!"

The sudden interruption came in the form of Usagi and Naru panting harshly as they arrived to school just before the bell rung.

"A-Ami...! We...made it!" Usagi said in between breaths.

"Just...in time...!" Naru followed.

Ami giggled. "It really does feel like you do this on purpose." The distraction almost took her away from present company with Ryo. "Oh, I'm sorry, Urawa-kun, but do you think you can talk to me after class? I don't want to be late."

"O-Oh, yeah, sure thing..." He resigned to say. "But just a heads up..."

He grabbed Ami's hand, to her surprise, and looked deep into her eyes.

"Watch out for construction sights. If anything else, _please_ watch out for construction sights."

There was a sense of desperation in his voice that Ami picked up on very easily. Before she could ask anymore on the subject, Ryo ran off with bag in hand towards the school hallway along with other students. She was left to stand there and ponder what Ryo meant by construction sights.

"Hey, what was that all about?" Naru asked.

"Yeah, why the talk about construction sights?" Usagi wondered.

Ami was just as curious about the ominous warning. "Dunno. I'll ask him later. For now, let's go to class."

The three girls hurried off to their classes. Unbeknownst to them, Ryo had, in fact, not gone very far from them, and stood in the corner of the hall where they'd run right past him. In his private moment, he clutched his chest tight; anxious of what he _knew_ was coming.

"Mizuno-san...please...please be safe." He muttered to himself.

* * *

Lunch had come for Juban's Daily Planet, and Clark decided to spend it in the break room for a change. It was a spacious room with other small tables across the floor and a couch with a coffee table on the side. The cabinets and sink sat close to the entrance with only a glass window separating the room from the rest of the newsroom. Different people came and gone with barely any staying to eat. Instead there was the constant sense of movement as other employees had to get right back to their task with food in hand. Luckily Clark was fast enough to finish his heap of work and focus on his lunch that Makoto made for him.

He opened the box lunch—the first thing to hit him was the warm steam and the heavenly smell. The selection was nothing short of impressive. Small takikomi rice balls, green peppers wrapped in meat, cherry tomatoes, a small bit of spaghetti, and boiled quail eggs.

"Once again, you've out done yourself, Makoto." Clark smiled, as he dug in. He did his best to not gorge himself like a pig in front of coming and going co-workers, but the food was far too delicious to _not_ go crazy.

Just as he was beginning to get comfortable, he saw a pile of papers slam onto the table; almost startling him. He looked up and saw the exhaustion riddled across his newest co-worker's face, as he dropped into a chair across from him. He slumped in his seat with his head back and a deep sigh escaping his lips.

"Looks like someone just went through their first rush hour." Clark chuckled.

"Not. Funny." Nephrite groaned as he sat back up. "I can't understand how there can be so much required writing for such a small district in Japan. It's outrageous."

"Juban isn't exactly a _quiet_ place anymore. With its new group of heroes, and another from across the seas patrolling around, I'd imagine you and I are in for some blisters on our fingers in the near future."

"Perhaps I should've reconsidered my job search." Nephrite smirked.

"Don't worry. It gets easier with time." Clark assured him.

Nephrite finally sat up in his chair and crossed his arms. " _This_ will, but not what's coming for you and the Sailor Scouts. You _know_ that, don't you?"

Clark stopped eating. He pondered for a moment the dangers that could threaten the city. And with Brainiac lurking behind the shadows, he had a feeling the troubles were going to escalate further.

"I know…So, what've you heard from your spy?"

Nephrite looked around for the coast to be clear, before he opened his palm and revealed a glowing orb of green light. He extended that palm towards the entrance, and sent the green orb at it.

The orb ignited with a small flash, before it had created a strange aura that masked the break room window. Clark could assume that the people outside would just be seeing an illusion of him and Nephrite sitting around leisurely. Meanwhile, people that entered into the breakroom became ghostly figures of their original selves—another illusion that made it so that what they saw was just Clark and Nephrite talking about useless things.

"Now then…" Nephrite said, removing his glasses.

He stood up and placed his hand towards the empty space in front of them. A holographic image of seven strange creatures of different shapes and sizes appeared; all masked in black shadows with glowing red eyes.

"These are what's called The Seven Great Youma; the legendary creatures of the galaxy. Each of them held ravaging power that could bring certain doom to whomever their target was. However, they were defeated during the Silver millennium war and were sealed away. What remains are reincarnations of themselves as humans."

"So, Queen Beryl is planning to turn those reincarnated humans back into Youma."

"Precisely."

Clark stood from his chair and walked around the table to get a better look at the shadowy monsters. "It can't be something as simple as that…"

"once again, you would be correct." Nephrite explained. "Queen Beryl is no longer wasting time in collecting energy. Instead, she is making a B-line straight towards the revival of the Great Ruler. And here's how she plans to do it."

Nephrite raised a finger up as each of the shadowy creatures vanished in black mist. From their ashes rose seven individually colored crystal fragments.

"In each of the Youma, there resides a fragment of their souls. Once the Youma are slain, these fragments reveal themselves as glowing crystals. They are known as The Rainbow Crystal."

He waved his hand with each individual stone presenting themselves to Clark; seven in all with different colors. He could tell why they were called the _rainbow_ crystals.

"Red; the crystal of Gemecen.  
Orange; the crystal of Broxy.  
Yellow; the crystal of Bunbo.  
Green; crystal of Binah.  
Blue; crystal of Rikoukeidar.  
Indigo; crystal of Jijin.  
And finally, Violet; crystal of Bakene.  
With all seven, one could be able to uncover the location of the Silver Crystal."

"So, it's like a beacon." Clark figured while leaning back on the table.

"More or less." Nephrite said, "But the problem is finding it before they do."

"You're right." Clark said, "And with Brainiac most likely aiding them, he'll go to whatever lengths to help them for the sake of knowledge."

"So, what will be done?" Nephrite asked.

Clark thought on it for a moment as to whether or not he should even involve the Sailor Scouts into this one. Brainiac is not like the other monsters they've fought before, and combined with these dangerous crystals made the situation even more dire.

"If they _do_ need all seven crystals, then we'll just need to destroy them. That way, no one would ever find the Silver Crystal." He suggested.

"Impossible." Nephrite said, "You can't destroy the Rainbow Crystals. They're made of cosmic energy far beyond even you."

"And I've faced cosmic energy that could wipe out planets in a single gust, I'm sure I can handle this."

"Maybe, but even if you could, there's no telling what could happen to the human vessel who is connected to that crystal." Nephrite pointed out. "Destroy _it_ , and you might kill them as well."

The Kryptonian had to give him that. The last thing he wanted was to risk the lives of newly reborn people who didn't even know what they were in the past. They should be allowed to forge their own paths as people, not treated as monsters.

"Then I guess the reincarnated Youma need to be located." Clark figured. "Protected from the Dark Kingdom."

"And if not, then we'll have to act quickly." Nephrite said, "Wherever the Silver Crystal reveals itself, will be a race for who can retrieve it first."

Clark removed his glasses to message the bridge of his nose with a grave state of mind. "Dammit…we're really in the endgame now."

"I'm afraid that _we_ will have to refer to _you_ and the Sailor Scouts." Nephrite confessed. "During such an event, I need to keep Naru safe from harm."

"Of course, I understand." Clark nodded, putting on his glasses. "You doing this much for me is more than enough."

Nephrite simply snapped his fingers and suddenly, the images of the crystal and the creatures and even the darkness that surrounded the room vanished. What returned was the usual coming and going of co-workers into the lounge room.

"We'll keep in touch." Nephrite said, fixing his glasses.

He turned on the heel and proceeded to walk towards the door. Just as he was about to step out of the lounge, he had recalled something else.

"Oh, one more thing…"

Clark's attention was back towards Nephrite, who looked over his shoulder with a grave expression on his face.

"That's metallic nuisance, Brainiac…how far do you believe he'll go to gain knowledge? If he captures those humans, he might do more then remove the crystals."

Clark indeed knew all too well what happens when Brainiac gets his hands on people he could use as test subjects. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you."

Nephrite smirked. "I wouldn't thank me if I were you."

Clark was confused by that statement. Before he could even ask, Nephrite had already walked out of the lounge room.

Thinking on it now, Nephrite had turned around to normalcy better then Clark expected. He figured it would end up like Jadeite, who was still in prison for his crimes of arson and meta-human threats. Luckily, Nephrite seemed to have had Naru as a tether to stay out of trouble. Plus, the last thing he needed was to be found by the Dark Kingdom. It made sense for him not to be involved in fighting the Youma. At the very least, it would keep him on a good path.

"Kent-san, there they are."

In came Mr. Yamazaki with a bright, wrinkled smile that made the Kryptonian-in-disguise more comfortable to talk with then Mr. White back in Metropolis.

"Ah, Mr. Yamazaki." Clark greeted.

"How commendable of you." He said.

"Hm?"

"To take on the entire office's editing process during our usual rush hour on your lunch break is the perfect example of a leader if I ever saw one."

Again; "Hm?"

"However, please don't sacrifice eating to get it all done. Gotta think about your health as well." Mr. Yamazaki advised.

Clark turned around and saw the big stack of papers Nephrite had left. It immediately donned on him why Nephrite decided to come into the lounge with all those papers. It wasn't to lament his exhaustion and it _just_ wasn't to explain what was coming from the Dark Kingdom—it was to dump off the heavy load to the first sucker he knew.

Clark tried to speak out. "Wh—b-but I—"

"I'll be sure to pass on the editing of our day to you. It'll be tough, but I believe you can do it. Keep up the good work." Waved the elder boss.

And with that, Mr. Yamazaki walked away, leaving Clark with a mountain of unedited news articles that sat on the table—articles that he _knew_ he was going to end up doing regardless, but still couldn't help but groan. Nephrite had played him from the very beginning.

Clark sighed. Juban still needed him and the Sailor Scouts to protect it. However, he couldn't very well just leave and put the company's integrity in the garbage by not doing his part (or the part Nephrite dumped on him) With no other choice in the matter, Clark sighed as he dropped in the chair—a fork in one hand for his food and a pen in the other for editing.

"So much for the _good path…_ " Clark said to himself.

Clark grabbed a pin, and was ready to put it on paper…however he stopped in the moment.

The first to hit him was the sounds of rumbling in the distance that seemed to resemble thunder. However, he knew it couldn't be rain since out the window it looked so sunny a few minutes ago. Objects began to rattle as the rest of the people began to take notice of the strange occurrence.

Clark stood up from his chair and focused on the origin of the sound. Whatever it was, it seemed to grow louder and louder—like a train speeding by inches away.

Clark jogged out of the lounge and into the main cubicle room where everyone had looked out the sky lite window in absolute horror. Clark followed their gaze, and approached the window. What he saw was nothing short of frightening to the poor innocent people below.

Even from where he stood, he could hear the multitude of screaming people, who ran in terror at the wake of a strange dark orb descending right over the city of Juban. It was massive enough to engulf the whole district in its shadow, while casting a menacing red light from its circular openings. It looked to be made of metal; built with many random metallic pieces.

The orb let out a menacing low, hum that shook the entire building Clark stood in. Naturally the other co-workers were terrified and speaking amongst one another in a panic.

"Clark!"

Clark turned to see Nephrite running to his side; equally cautious of the giant orb over Juban.

"Clark, what _is_ that thing?-!"

"No…!" Clark muttered. "…not now…!"

Nephrite was about to ask what he meant; however, Clark immediately took off down the hall, and towards the flight of stairs.

* * *

Meanwhile, the situation did not look any better from within Juban Junior High. The moment Usagi heard the noise, she was the first to burst from her classroom and run down the stairs towards the front doors. Just as she made it to the entryway. The outside looked dark like a storm was about to hit.

"Usagi!"

The pig-tailed girl was a tad startled to hear her name called, but sighed in relief to see that it was familiar faces.

"Ami! Naru!" Usagi said fearfully. "What's going on? Where's all the rumbling coming from?"

"No idea, but I think it's coming from outside!" Ami said.

She was the first one to open the door, much to Usagi and Naru's dismay. What greeted them was the sound of screams and car honks coming from all over, and the harsh wind that almost knocked them off their feet.

"Hey! What's all the commotion aboooouu…?"

Usagi's words trailed off as Naru tilted her head up to see the source of wind. She stood there—dumbstruck and at a loss for rational thought at the sight of the massively giant orb. To them, it looked more like a big, black space that had blocked out the sun in its shadow.

"W-What is…?" Naru muttered shakily.

"I-It looks…like a planet…?" Ami said with uncertainty.

"W-W-Well, whatever it is, i-it's huge!-!" Usagi yelled in a panic.

* * *

The gods could not begin to answer the prayers she had instinctively chanted in her mind the moment she saw the massive sphere descend upon Juban. All Rei could do was watch in silence from the stairs of the shrine—trying desperately not to drop to her knees and cry hysterically as the low hum rang through her skull like a death gong. She held it together the best she could as a Sailor Guardian, but was clutching her hakama at the thought of even making a move from those stairs.

"Rei..." said an older voice.

Then, out of nowhere, she felt something grab her hand, which startled her to the point of almost wetting herself. She looked down to see her balding grandfather.

Rather then be petrified with the utmost terror, he instead looked up at her…and smiled. No tears, or a single worry in his mind. Just an honest, wholesome smile that she remembered he use to give her when she felt at her lowest as a kid.

"G-Grandpa..." Rei uttered.

"It will be alright, Rei." he said, "I know it may look dim now, but have faith in the gods for our protection. And if they don't...then I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe."

For some reason, that smile erupted a sense of relief within her; allowing her to think rationally again. And with rationality, came that fiery bravery to stand up to any evil as both a shrine maiden and a Sailor Guardian. She had to do something.

But first, she needed to find Superman.

"Thank you, grandpa." Rei smiled back. "But this time, let _me_ be the one to protect _you_."

Rei took off down the stairs without another word to her grandfather. He did not try to catch up with her nor stop her. Instead his smile fell into a look of concern. Not just for her granddaughter, but for what was to come. He didn't tell Rei, but he had been feeling a warm and unsettling sensation in his chest for a quite a while now. It appeared he now knew what caused it.

* * *

The crowds of people were in the hundreds in a desperate frenzy to get as far away from the commotion of wind and the low hum of danger. The cars honked in the heavy traffic while sirens blasted about. It seemed as though she was the only one who tried to make her way through the scattering people to get to the danger. But that was always Makoto in a nutshell.

She had passed through those desperate to get by, while helping up the others that tripped and fell. She ran down the block and came to a curve at the end of the street. She was hit with a massive gust of wind that almost blew her away. It was so intense that she felt as though she couldn't breathe properly and was forced to cover her face. The girl stilled looked ahead, and saw the giant orb's hum actually come a red source of light shining down in the center of Juban. Makoto swore it was something out of an alien movie.

"Makoto-san!"

Makoto looked around for the source of the voice, but couldn't see anyone who wasn't trying to run off.

"Makoto-san, down here!"

The tall girl was confused for a moment, before looking down as instructed. What she found was not some height-challenged person, but instead a black cat with a moon-like crest on its forehead. What was even more strange was the odd-looking gold pen it had in its mouth with a green bottom half and an orb at the top.

The cat spat it out and said, "There's no time to wait and see if you're the one."

Now, Makoto had seen it all—a flying superhero, Juban's own vigilantes, a giant death sphere that could threaten Juban, and now a talking cat.

"D-Did you just—"

"Yes, yes, I'm a talking cat! That's not important right now!" Luna yelled. "What is important is that you use this pin if you want to have a chance to stop whatever this madness is!"

"W-What?" Makoto said in confusion. She bent at the knees and picked up the odd, yet expensive-looking pen to get a closer look at it. "Y-You mean I can fight whatever that thing is with _this_?"

"Yes! Only you can be able to use this item!" Luna explained. "It has been destined for you this whole time! _You_ are a Sailor Guardian!"

"I-I'm a—what?"

Just before she could ask anymore questions, both Makoto and Luna noticed the wind begin to lose gusto. The wind grew calm as all that was left of the middle of Juban were abandoned cars and garbage dancing across the floor.

However, the red light that illuminated from the underside of the orb still glowed, and from the opening slowly descended something. It almost looked like a person, however neither could tell if it was just far away, or if the _'person'_ was as big as they feared.

* * *

Back on the rooftop of the Juban Daily Planet, Nephrite had just caught up with Clark, who stood dangerously at the edge, looking up at the giant sphere. The low hum had ceased and all that could be seen was a thin red light shine down on a single point of the district. Both could see something descend from the light's origin.

"Dammit. It really _is_ him." Clark said.

"I'm assuming he's an old enemy of yours." Nephrite said, joining his side.

"Unfortunately." Clark answered. "And I have a hunch he's not here for his usual conquest. This has Brainiac written all over it."

"He must be using this as a distraction to find the Rainbow Crystals." Nephrite figured.

"Most likely." He turned to grab Nephrite's shoulder. "For now, you need to find Naru and her family. Get them as far away from here as you can. Like you said; protect that girl at all cost. Then, afterwards try to evacuate as many people out of downtown as you can."

Nephrite nodded. "Understood."

He reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a strange black crystal.

"Take it. It will lead you to the bearer of a Rainbow Crystal."

Clark nodded and took the crystal. The long-haired man ran back towards the entrance with phone to his ear, while Clark only looked up to see that familiar red-light shine over Juban. He had regretted not searching for him at the eve of the orb's destruction and thrown him right into the Phantom Zone. Now Clark had to pay for that mistake if he didn't stop this invasion now.

Clark took off his glasses and threw them to the side, before leaping off of the twelve-story building to rip his dress shirt open, and reveal the symbol of El.

* * *

Back on the ground, the red light had finally dissipated and with it, the entire orb into a cloaking device that made it vanish into a liquid distortion. Light from the sun had finally appeared over the center of Juban again.

However, what _arrived_ from the ship had most of the attention from the poor civilians who were too terrified to even think about running. There, they saw the massive form of a humanoid being with sickly yellow skin and piercing red eyes. His body was encased in purple, cybernetic armor while his head was in a tight, leather helmet. He stood upon the cracked earth below his feet; arms behind his back with a vicious grin on his face.

"Hmph. I expected better." Said the yellow beast of a man with a gravelly deep voice. He cleared his throat and spoke loudly to the people hiding behind the cars. "People of Earth. Rejoice. For I am your salvation. Had I been allowed to do as I pleased, your planet would have been smoldering ash across the stars. However, I have given you a mercy in only serving as your reckoning. So, die—die knowing that your meaningless lives served to please Warworld…to please the mighty Mongul."

He watched the humans cower in fear of his words, and intimidating physical form. Needless to say, Mongul had revealed in their fear, and stood like a god before them all.

"Yes. Kneel in the presence of your new ruler." Mongul said victoriously.

"Not today, you yellow jerk!"

The evil grin had quickly fallen at the voice of a human who dared to defy him. Of course, she made her presence very much known as she stood on top of one of the abandoned cars a few feet away from Mongul.

It was revealed to be Makoto Kino. Except she was now dressed in an entirely new uniform from what she was use to wearing. It was a similar Sailor Guardian to the others, only her skirt, collar, and shorter boots were all green, while the bows on her chest and back waist were pink. On her forehead was an iconic tiara with a green gem. Joining her side was the black cat, Luna.

Naturally, Mongul was not impressed. "And who are _you_ supposed to be?"

"The girl who doesn't like big, ugly bullies." Makoto said confidently. "Especially bullies from other planets who pick on the weak." She pointed at herself as she spoke proudly. "Protected by Jupiter; Planet of Thunder! Guardian of the weak! _I_ am Sailor Jupiter! I'll fill you with regret, and leave you numb!"

…

…

…

"…Was that it?" Mongul criticized.

Makoto's face went red with embarrassment. "Augh! I knew that line was stupid, but _you_ told me to say it anyway!" Makoto yelled at Luna while pulling her skirt down. "And why am I dressed in this stupid outfit?-! This is _way_ too much leg I'm showing!"

"How dare you! That chant and uniform are a staple for the Sailor Guardians!" Luna exclaimed in offense.

"Sailor Guardians?"

Both looked back towards the yellow-skinned massive being, as a grin formed on his ugly mug.

"I've heard of their kind. They were once the rulers of the universe, before they were killed off for their own foolishness."

"You shut your mouth!" Luna yelled harshly. "The Silver Millennium died honorably in battle against evil!"

"Ha! They were defeated by their own, who grew tired of their pompous laws and the ignorance of their petty despot of a queen." Mongul said, "If there anything of the Silver Millennium left, I would've taken the throne by force."

"Hmph! Though they're gone, their spirits still live on in each of these chosen guardians of Earth!" Luna proclaimed. "They are the ones who are here to stop threats like you! And that's exactly what _she's_ gonna do!"

"H-Hey, hold on a sec…" Makoto whispered worriedly.

"Oh, really now?" Mongul challenged.

"W-Well, I mean, I'll do my best!" Sailor Jupiter said.

Mongul made low chuckle at their folly. "You will try."

Without another warning, Mongul leaped into the air, and came down towards the Sailor Guardian and the cat. Luckily, Sailor Jupiter grabbed Luna in her arms, and jumped off the car just in time to see the yellow giant crush it with his weight alone.

She landed onto the ground and dropped Luna to unleash her own counter attack against the giant alien.

Just as Luna said in her crash-course on Sailor Guardian-ing, she crossed her hands over her head, and brought them to her chest, while chanting; "Jupiter: my guardian planet. Bring forth a storm! Summon the clouds, and bring down the thunder!"

Mongul gave her no chance to catch her breath as he stepped off the crushed automobile and came running at the Sailor Guardian with every intention to ram right through her. Only a millisecond before he made contact, Sailor Jupiter's body had become an afterimage of pure electricity as her real self had teleported onto the sidewalk; a small distance away.

In that time, a small prong had grown from her tiara. She felt the overwhelming surge of electricity go through her body from the prong alone. It felt so liberating to the young girl that she felt like she could throw her all at the giant alien. Whatever it was, she was ready to throw down like nobody's business. The electricity had finally formed all over her body to create a force field of pure lightning.

" _Supreme Thunder_!"

Makoto whipped her arms forward and sent the field of thunder right at Mongul with all the fury and power of a thunderstorm. Mongul blocked the continuous blast of lightning with little to no effort. However, the stinging sensation of volts coursing through his body remained a constant. Finally, the relentless blast of thunder had forced him off of his feet and sent him flying back into one of the cars with a harsh crash.

"W-Whoa! I…I did it!" Makoto said in honest surprise.

"Of course, you did!" Luna said proudly. "That'll teach him to never underestimate the Sailor Guardians!"

"Yeah…but uh, I don't think that was enough…!"

Makoto pointed towards the massive alien that slowly rose up with little to no trouble at all. Though he suffered minor ache from the electricity still surging through its body, Mongul was more than able to get back onto his feet with a sinister grin across his lips.

"So… _this_ is the strength of a Sailor Guardian? Hmph. Barely a tickle." Mongul insulted.

Mongul slowly came stomping towards the newest Sailor Guardian with every step creating a loud tremor under both Makoto and Luna's feet. The guardian did her best to stand her ground, but deep down was shaking like a leaf and reading to high-tail it outta there. She had always been a tough girl, but this was way above her weight class. Makoto began to doubt if she was prepared to fight something as big as an alien titan.

Mongul loomed over the tall girl with his hand coming over to grab her. She flinched and prepared to go down fighting. Luna was just about to pounce to buy Makoto time. However, she only needed to look up behind Mongul to decide not to.

"Nice to see you again, Mongul."

The yellow-skinned alien's grin quickly fell once he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"I don't think the lady too happy with you."

Without warning, Mongul whipped his arm around towards the origin of the voice. As expected, it was more than easy for the Man of Steel to catch the beefy arm with a single hand clutching it tight.

How about you switch partners." He said with a smirk.

Superman grabbed onto Mongul's arm with both hands and began to whirl him around in a circle multiple times. The sounds of Mongul's screams were almost music to Makoto's ears after all the fear he put Juban through. With one last spin, he threw the giant of a man right through one of the buildings with enough force to send him flying through to the other side.

Makoto stood there in a loss for words. She'd only been able to see news reports and videos on YouTube of Superman's greatest feats. To be able to see it all in person was beyond anything she could've ever imagined. She couldn't even find the words to say when he approached her; slowly floating back down to the ground.

"Are you alright, miss?" Superman asked.

"Y-Yeah…" Makoto stuttered. "T-Thanks for the save…"

"Anytime. So, you're the new guardian. I hope you're prepared for the responsibility."

"I-I, I think I—"

"Superman!"

Superman, along with Luna and Makoto, look up towards one of the buildings beside them to see the arrival of the other three Sailor Guardians. All three of them easily leaped from the roof and gracefully landed to the ground like nothing. Makoto was flabbergasted at their amazing durability. She wondered if she was able to do that as well. If anything, she was just glad to see she wasn't the only one dressed in the short skirt, and tiara. What was an even bigger shock was that one of the guardians was a familiar face to her.

" _That girl…_ " She thought. " _That's the girl I saved from those thugs. So, she's in on this too?_ "

"Glad you three are alright." Superman said in relief.

His words were however ignored. Usagi, Ami, and Rei were far too distracted by the sight of yet another Sailor Guardian in their presence. This time, she had a green hue to her uniform and was quite tall for a girl.

"Another guardian?" Ami said with a surprised tone.

"Guess it was bound to happen sooner or later." Rei figured.

"W-Wait! I know you!" Usagi blurted out. "You're that girl who—"

All three were caught off guard by the sound of something slamming through one of the buildings like a battering ram and had plenty of force to keep on running towards them. Mongul came charging after them with all his might and a fist raised. Superman was there in time to intercept his fist, while the yellow alien stopped the Man of Steel's own fist as well. The impact sent shockwaves across the city block and shattered windows all around them. The girls covered their heads as bits of glass rained down on them.

It had become a struggle for dominance between the two super powered beings, with Superman needing to exert a little more strength then he usually put out.

"You guys need to get out of here! Now!" Superman called.

"W-What? But what about you?-!" Sailor Moon worried.

"Don't worry! I'll handle this! You all have a job of your own to do!" Superman struggled to say under the increased weight of Mongul. "Luna! On my side! Take it!"

Luna was confused until she saw what was dangling off of Superman's belt. She nodded and ran towards him. She leaped and grabbed the black crystal with her teeth, before landing and scurrying back to the Sailor Scouts.

Usagi received the strange black crystal and quickly examined it along with Ami, Rei, and Makoto.

"What is that thing?" Rei wondered.

"If that's what I think it is, then we need to get a move on!" Luna commanded. "Leave this to Superman!"

"O-Okay, then." Ami agreed.

"Alright. But only because I _know_ Superman can handle this on his own." Rei reasoned.

"Right. Be careful, Superman!" Usagi called.

The three of them took off with Luna leading the way. Makoto took one last look at the intense struggle between the two aliens, before running along with the rest of the Sailor Scouts.

Now that the girls were out of the way, the Man of Steel could go all out without worry of hurting anyone.

"Oh, how I've missed this!" Mongul grinned with gritted teeth. "To have to opportunity to humiliate you in front of this entire puny rock of a planet! Once I've disposed of you, I think I'll take my time in killing those pathetic girls of yours!"

"Not gonna happen, Mongul!" Superman grunted. "We've been doing this song and dance for too long! Isn't about time you give up this vendetta against me?"

"Tempting, but I'm afraid I'm not the one in control this time!"

"Let me guess; Brainiac?"

"He has promised me the opportunity to take conquest of this planet. Simply by fulfilling one request; destroy this tiny district of a city, and all who inhabit it... _**Including you.**_ "


	8. Race for the Crystal Arc: Part 2

**_Hey everyone._**

 ** _Back at it again after a lengthy absence. I'm honestly thinking about taking this story further then just the first arc, but at the same time, I don't have time to write fanfiction like I use to. We'll just have to wait and see._**

 ** _So regarding Sailor Moon, I was recently listening to the opening theme and am reminded why I prefer the English version. Just a lil more kick to it. Nothing wrong with the Japanese version, but I'm bias to my nostalgia._**

 ** _So we got a shit ton of Superman stuff; Tom Welling coming back as Clark, Brandon Routh coming back as Superman, and some more Superman related content! YEEES!_**

 ** _REMINDER: For anyone curious about what inspired this story, check out the artist's Tumblr, tiggersmoke and her cute picture of Superman and Sailor Moon._**

 ** _DISCLIAMER: I OWN NOTHING. Superman and Sailor Moon (and other characters) belong to their respected creators and NOT ME. Please support these characters and their official releases._**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 8: Race for the Crystal Arc: Pt. 2_**

* * *

Nephrite was able to get the last of Naru's bags into her mom's trunk before shutting it down. Before they departed, he circled toward Naru's passenger window to speak to her one last time.

"Everything is all packed." Nephrite said. "I have also called your father to have you meet outside of Juban."

"Thank you, Sanjouin-san." Naru nodded.

"We greatly appreciate you looking out for us." Said Naru's mother. "What about you?"

"Please don't concern yourself with me. There is still much I have to do." Nephrite bowed politely to them. "I thank you for allowing me to stay in your home for such a short time."

"Of course. Anything for an old friend." She replied.

Nephrite was gracious; not for the mother's kindness, but him being able to use his abilities to his advantage. Before he worked his magic, Naru's mother wasn't sure if Nephrite could be trusted to stay in her home. He _was_ an adult male who she'd never seen before after all. However, her decision changed once she learned that he was one of her good friends from a few years back (a lie of course by Nephrite's magic)

Nephrite looked back at Naru. She obviously had a worried look on her face. He knew what was on her mind, and got down to her window.

"I know that look well." Nephrite said with a calming smile.

Naru turned her glassy eyes towards him. "I-I don't…are you sure you'll be okay?"

"I will be alright. What matters more is your safety."

"Then why can't you come with us?-! Why stay here?-!" Naru exclaimed desperately. "Please…just come with us…!"

Nephrite didn't want to see such a sad expression on her face, but he had no choice in the matter. He had to do what was best for Naru. And looking back up at the hovering massive, black orb, he knew it was better to take her out of danger.

"I can't do that…You taught me that there were some things I had to care about more than myself." He said in content. "Just have faith in me."

Naru's eyes welled up, but she couldn't help but smile at how much Nephrite had changed. She didn't want to leave him, but she also didn't want to let Nephrite's new conviction be in vain.

"Okay…I believe in you." Naru said.

"We _both_ do." Naru's mother said.

The long-haired man nodded as he backed up and watched as the car drove off opposite to downtown Juban. It pained him to have to be away from Naru after what felt like a fleeting moment of time.

He watched the car travel far enough before turning his attention towards the black sphere in the sky, along with the tremor of the ground from whatever battle was taking place. Nephrite snapped his fingers and from below his feet appeared a strange yellow circle. The circle surrounded him with gleaming aura that transformed his clothes into something similar to the Dark Kingdom's uniform. Except this time, it was all black with yellow rimmed sleeves, belt, and white gloves.

Nephrite leaped off of the ground and made his way across the rooftops towards all the commotion where he imagined Superman was fighting. He didn't know just how much help he would be in the fight, but could only hope that he wasn't too late.

Just as he was about to jump off of another rooftop, He was suddenly met by someone appearing in front of his path. He stopped in his tracks at the sight of the black suit-wearing vigilante as his cape danced in the wind.

"Oh, it's you again." Nephrite said.

"They say goodbyes are hardest in the eyes of uncertainty." Tuxedo Mask said.

"I don't have time for your melodramatic nonsense." Nephrite proclaimed. "If you stand in my way under the belief that I am still with the Dark Kingdom, then I'll gladly mow you down to proceed."

Tuxedo Mask scoffed. "Quite the contrary. I'm only here to warn you that the Dark Kingdom has begun to make their move."

He reached into his pocket, and from it pulled out a familiar black rock to the ex-Dark Kingdom guardsman. Nephrite was rather shocked to find such an item in the possession of someone as eccentric as Tuxedo Mask.

"That's one of the black crystals! How did—"

"Not important right now." Tuxedo Mask interrupted. "All that matters is finding the Rainbow Crystals before the opposing forces do."

"And you expect me to just help you? Were we _not_ enemies just a week ago?"

"That was then." He turned his back to Nephrite to look out towards the massive black sphere. "Now…desperate times call for such measures. We must hurry!"

Tuxedo Mask took off from the rooftop and went on his way across the others.

Nephrite sighed. "I thought I was done taking orders…"

* * *

The Sailor Scouts traversed across rooftops; in search of a trace towards one of the so-called Rainbow Crystals that Luna explained. So far, Usagi was lifting the crystal like a cell phone searching for service—nothing. Not a trace of a single crystal within the area.

Just another concern to pile onto Usagi's growing troubles. Not only did her city become ground zero for a massive battle, but now she was left unable to find the one thing to turn the tide. It had become unbearable to even try anymore.

Finally, Usagi stopped with the other scouts following her lead.

"Usagi?" Ami questioned. "Are you…?"

"It's not working…"

"Huh? What do you—

"It's not working!" Usagi yelled angrily. She turned to face her fellow Scouts with welled up tears in her eyes. "This is getting us nowhere! Why isn't this stupid rock working already?-!"

"Calm down, Usagi. We need to focus." Luna advised. "There's no other way to do this. All that matters is us finding it before—

"Before what? Before they find all the crystals and turn our city into a pile of rubble?-! I mean, what if we _don't_ find them?-!" Usagi panicked. "What if they find them all before we do? These rainbow crystals are supposed to find the big Silver Crystal, right? So, what if—

The fearful leader ranting had been quickly interrupted by a sharp pain across her cheek. For a moment, she had lost herself, until she looked back at her fellow red-colored scout place a tight grip on her shoulder. Usagi saw a burning rage form within Rei that almost seemed to radiate for Ami, Luna, and Makoto to see.

"Ugh, enough with the _what ifs_! You're making my ears bleed!" Rei said harshly. "Listen, _fearless_ leader, if you wanna sit here and cry about all the bad stuff happening around us, then you do that on your own time. Me? I have a grandfather I have to protect with all I have, and nothing—not even the self-doubt in _my_ mind, will prevent me from doing so!"

She shoved Usagi to allow her to get a grip on herself as Rei continued on.

"We _will_ find these Rainbow Crystals, we _will_ protect this city with Superman, and _nothing_ is going to stand in our way!" She looked back at the others. "Am I right, girls?"

"Y-Yes, that's right!" Ami nodded. "I still have my family and friends who need me to be strong for them!"

"Yeah, same here." Makoto followed.

"I agree." Luna said. "It's up to you, Usagi. What do _you_ want to do?"

The pig-tailed leader looked at her friends with fierce determination in them. How could they be so confident that they'll win in the face of so much hopelessness? What was keeping them going? Whatever it was, she wished _she_ could be as strong as them. To be able to protect her own family and friends. That was what she desired most. The image of everyone she loves appearing in her mind was all the motivation she could muster...but it was enough.

She wiped her tears and shared in her teams' fierce desire to win. "You all are right—It's not over yet. Let's find ourselves the first Rainbow Crystal!"

"Yes, ma'am!" They all said in unison.

However, just as she made that proclamation, the black crystal in her hand began to suddenly pulsate like a living-breathing heart.

"Whoa! I-It's beating…!" Usagi said fearfully. "It's moving like a heartbeat...!"

"That must mean one of those Rainbow Crystal are close by!" Makoto confirmed.

"Well, don't just stand there! Lead the way!" Rei clamored.

"Augh! R-Right!" Usagi reluctantly replied. "Lead the way, Black Crystal thingy!"

* * *

The last clash between the two had created a seismic shockwave that decimated the windows of all nearby buildings. Both were sent flying back in distance from one another.

Despite Mongul's best efforts to give it his all, Exhaustion had begun to set in for the yellow giant through harsh breaths and aching bruises from the Man of Steel.

Meanwhile, Superman wasn't without a hinge of exhaustion. Mongul's tough exterior and strength made the fight last longer than it should have. This along with his perception of attacks were both extraordinary and frightening. It had been quite some time since the boy in blue had a challenging opponent that didn't go down so easily. It would've been thrilling had the livelihood of Juban not been at stake.

"Yes…Yes, this is what I've longed for…!" Mongul said with a wide grin. "The chance to match blows with you again is nothing short of an honor."

"You? Honor someone? You've been hanging around Joker too much, Mongul." Superman said.

"By no means is this a joke. To receive the pleasure of doing battle with you has always been my greatest desire. A shame it will not last much longer!"

Mongul rushed forward, with Superman doing the same. The two clashed; fist-to-fist with the force behind their attack sending shockwaves across the area. Both were left in a struggle for dominance.

"Just tell me where Brainiac is…!" Superman said through gritted teeth. "Once he's gotten what he wants, he'll throw you away or add you to his collection."

"Ha! As if I would blindly trust that sickly-colored moron!" Mongul pompously exclaimed. "Once I've taken this planet, I will focus my next conquest on him, and the rest of his legion. He will be but an insect beneath my boot heel just like you! Such is the law of MONGUL!"

Mongul grabbed Superman's arm and turned on the heel to throw him into the buildings. The throw itself sent the man in blue careening through the walls and above and deep into the sky across the rest of the town. Mongul took off after the defenseless Kryptonian, just as he regained himself within the air.

Superman bounced back into action—flying after the incoming Mongul and catching him mid-flight with the speed of a jet. The two flew across town before slamming into the now abandoned Dreamland's courtyard with an explosive landing.

Mongul was able to kick Superman off of him to stand back onto his feet and charge at the Man of Steel with fist cocked back. Clark did the same; flying towards the yellow giant with his own fist. Once again, their clash made shockwaves across the entire park—windows, and other debris were not spared from their destruction.

Both exchanged harsh blows with each hit emitting its own burst of air. The magnitude of a small tremor began to crack the ground below them. The smallest slither of an opening appeared for Superman to strike back. He plunge his fist into the massive alien's gut, before he led with an uppercut to the chin that lifted him off the ground. From there, Clark grabbed Mongul's ankles and spun him around like a tornado, before chucking him straight into the air.

Superman took off flying in pursuit of the aimless yellow alien with a blast of his heat vision to keep him going. The agonizing screams filled Clark with confidence that Mongul's tough skin was starting to weaken.

He increased his speed across the sky to dish out his signature flying punches with the left jab slamming into his stomach, followed by a right jab to send him further across the city. Superman reached deep into himself to suddenly fly faster than lightning to appear in front of the path Mongul flew towards. He locked his hands over his head, and hammered down a powerful punch right into the Giant's yellow cranium. His massive body plummeted straight into the neighborhood block with a devastating crash to form a crater.

Superman swiftly landed to the ground and hovered over to the billowing smoke where the giant had landed. Despite his approach towards the crater, Supes was hoping that he had been able to put Mongul down for good. He had grown a tad exhausted in fighting him and had his focus on helping the Scouts.

However, his wish wasn't granted. Instead, what Supes received was another attack from the yellow giant that hit him like a freight train.

Once again, Clark was thrown through buildings, and abandoned homes, before coming to a crumbling stop into shoe locker room of, surprisingly, Juban Junior High school. He shook his head as he emerged from the wreckage of crushed shoe lockers.

Just in time, he saw Mongul land onto the open field of the school grounds. His armor had been damaged with some of it fallen off, and blood dripped down his chin. However, he still held on to a toothy grin as he held in his hand, what looked like, a Warhammer with a thruster on its backside.

"So much for an honest fight, eh, Mongul?" Superman called out.

"All is fair in war and death, Superman." Mongul stated. "A lesson you could never understand."

"Nor do I want to!" He shot back.

Clark took hold of the two lockers beside him and burst from the hallway to shoot his heat vision at him. However, Mongul more than easily blocked the ray of heat with only his hammer in hand. Once close enough Superman was about to slam both lockers onto the giant yellow alien. However, Mongul acted faster with a charged up Warhammer to its full capacity of a heated red. He slammed it into the ground to create a massive blast of pure red force that made the ground to crumble, and the school windows to shatter in an instant. The impact was strong enough to blow even Superman away and tumble back onto solid ground.

Before he could even get his bearings together, Superman was once again hit with the massive hammer coming down onto him. It took both of his arms to stop it mid strike. The weight had slowly begun to be an issue for the Kryptonian. He could feel his muscles begin to give way and the ground failing to support him.

He was just about to ponder what was suddenly weakening him, before the familiar sensation of his draining strength suddenly came to memory.

"Damn…!" Superman grunted. "A red solar weapon…!"

"You've finally figured it out, have you?" Mongul grinned. "It's worked wonders during our battle. Even hidden away, the very radiation is enough to slowly dampen your power."

He lifted the hammer over his shoulder to swing it at Superman's side, and hit him hard enough to have his body tumble across the ground. he came to a stop while dragging into the dirt; his aches and pains all over. It was almost a struggle just to stand up again, let alone onto one knee.

"I must thank Brainiac for supplying me with so many ways to weaken you." Mongul said, while walking towards the downed Kryptonian. "I would've never known the Man of Steel could go down by elements other than Kryptonite. I'll have to remember such useful information for the next War World death gauntlet… _if_ you live long enough to see it!"

Once again, the maniac ruler raised his red Warhammer into the air. It burned red with negative solar energy that practically made it hard for Clark to stand back onto his feet again. He could at least raise his arms to face the full brunt of the hammer coming down on him.

Mongul let out a bellowed battlecry as the hammer came down fast. Superman prepared for the worst to come to pass. If felt as though time slowed down for him as he awaited the pain of metal hitting him; devising a method to handle Mongul in his weakened state.

However, that plan would no longer be necessary. He looked up to see that the Warhammer hadn't even come down onto him. It, instead, had been stopped in its tracks, with Mongul struggling to be able to move his weapon out of someone's grasp.

Clark peered at the single person who stood in front of him; holding the hammer with her own two hands.

"Hey, cuz."

Her soft, yet confident voice was music to his ears. Her red cape danced in the wind along with her blonde long hair. Her suit was drastically different from Superman's—a blue short dress with a gold belt-like design, a pair of long red boots, and the sleeves stretched into gloves. Her cape had been fastened to form around her neck.

She looked over her shoulder towards Clark and a smile on her lips and shimmering blue eyes to match his own.

"S-Supergirl?" Superman uttered.

"Sorry I'm late." Kara said, "So what's this I hear about you having scOOUUTS?-!"

Before Supergirl could finish her sentence, she had been grabbed by Mongul and thrown away from the fight like a rag doll and into the nearby bushes.

"Supergirl!" Clark called out to.

However, he had been too preoccupied with Mongul's impatience to worry about her for long. He had once again held his Warhammer in hand with red solar energy pouring out of its flat surface.

"Annoying wench." Mongul scoffed. "Now where was I—"

His sentence was cut short by the sting of his cheek being punched into by a young woman's fist. The punch itself had sent the yellow giant careening across the school campus and through the concrete walls of its boundaries. Clark was left speechless at how easily his cousin had been able to send the powerhouse flying with a single punch.

"Phew. It's not nice to interrupt while people are talking." Said the Girl of Steel. She turned back to her cousin with a hand to help him up. "Are you alright, Kal?"

"Heh, better now." Clark smiled. He took her hand as was helped back onto his feet. Though still a bit dazed. "Kara, what're you doing here? What about Metropolis and National City?"

"The D.E.O has National City on lock. As for Metropolis; let's just say Diana's giving criminals a reason to hide while you're away." Kara winked.

Kara looked over towards the red solar-powered hammer and used her own form of blue heat vision to melt it into a pile of magma.

"Good thing I'm more immune to Red Sun then you, baby cousin." She said with a snide smile.

"Pretty sure it's only because your ship circled a red sun on its way to Earth." Clark playfully reminded her.

"Oooh, bold words for someone whose diapers I used to change." Kara bragged.

Their family banter was put on hold at the sudden rumble of debris flying towards them. Both simply swatted the chunks of rock out of their way and watched the giant titan, Mongul, rise from the wreckage of the school walls. He had a mean bruise on his cheek with blood he had spit out along with a tooth. That evil grin could not be found anywhere on his yellow mug and was replaced with a fiery rage that could burn a forest.

"Ooh, he does _not_ look happy." Supergirl said.

"Good. He's reckless when he's mad." Superman touched her shoulder. "I'll take the rest from here. You need to help the Sailor Scouts."

"You sure?"

"Don't worry. You took out the Red Sun weapon he had. It should be easier to take 'em down."

Supergirl was doubtful of his decision. He was obviously still weakened from the Red Sun Exposure by the harshness in his breaths. She recalled that it took Clark a rough estimate of ten minutes before he had regained his full power from Red Sun exposure; even with the Earth's sun bearing down on him. She was worried for a moment, but knew Kal could find a way, even at half of his strength. They didn't call him _Superman_ for nothing after all. She trusted her cousin's better judgement for once.

"Okay...be careful, Superman."

With that, Kara leaped off of the ground and across the skies, leaving the Man of Steel and Mongul back to their one-on-one match.

"You…! You damned Kryptonians think you can make a mockery of _me_?-!" He yelled.

"Wouldn't be the first time." Superman mocked. "It's over, Mongul. Give up now."

Mongul did not take that lightly. In a fit of rage, he roared a bitter howl that echoed across the neighborhood. His giant foot pushed off from the ground and his body came tunneling towards Superman at break-neck pace. Suddenly, the two vanished in an instant; moving faster than any normal eyes could keep up with. All that flew across the skies of the city were masses of distorted sound barriers breaking like fireworks.

* * *

The Sailor Scouts were caught off guard by the sudden burst of fireworks going off in the sky. However, they could see no lights or anything at all. They _could_ feel the pressure in the air grow tense with each explosion. It got so bad that they had to escape from the rooftops and onto the abandoned streets of Juban.

"Ack! What _is_ all that?-!" Usagi said fearfully.

"I-I think it's Superman fighting that yellow giant guy!" Makoto figured.

"The battle's getting more intense. We need to speed things up quickly!" Luna said frantically.

"Uh, R-Right!" Usagi said timidly.

She paid closer attention to the crystal in hand and had it led her towards where it vibrated the strongest. It seemed to give off a stronger sensation the closer they traveled towards the game center where Motoki worked.

"The game center?" Ami wondered. "But why here?"

Just then, the double doors opened by themselves, and out came a young man dressed in a yellow hoodie, a pair of glasses, and a blue baseball cap turned backwards. In his arm was a bunch of stuffed animals that you'd find in a crane game.

"Hey, I know him." Ami mentioned. "That's Joe: The Game Crane Troll."

"Who?" Usagi said in confusion.

"He's a supposed genius at crane games." Ami explained. "Every stuffed animal he sets his sights on, he gets. He's got hundreds of them."

"So, why the heck is he still in town?" Rei questioned.

"Whatever the reason, we need to get him out of here!" Luna suggested. "Makoto, I think we—huh? Makoto?"

The black cat tried to get her attention while sitting on her shoulder. However, the newly green Sailor Scout had suddenly drifted into her own little world; one where her cheeks had gone a rosy red, and her eyes were glazed over as though she was in a trance. She stared at the young man as he adjusted his glasses and those sharp eyes felt as though they were aimed directly at her.

"T-That guy…" She said with a swooning tone. "He's just like him~"

"Huh? Like who?" Rei wondered.

"My…My first love, Freedie~" She said. "He's just like my old boyfriend, Freddie, no, he's a whole lot nicer than Freddie, cause Freddie _dumped_ me!"

"O…kay? I don't—Whoa!" Suddenly, the gem in Usagi's hand began to react by shaking violently. It only got stronger once she pointed it towards the confused Joe, who looked over at the strangely dressed girls.

"No doubt! That's one of our guys!" Rei confirmed.

" _Well now. Thank you for letting me know_."

At that moment, a spiral of familiar sakura petals began to form just across from them. Usagi, Rei, Ami, and Luna knew exactly who it was, while Makoto was confused at the sight of it. Joe finally removed his loud headphones from his ears to notice that he was actually alone in the game center a few moments ago. But now he watched as the sakura petals had formed a full humanoid body in the wake of their disappearance.

There stood the young Dark Kingdom Knight; Zoisite, his chin cupped and a sly grin on his lips.

"Whoa! What the…? Who're you?-!" Joe exclaimed in a fright.

"Hm hm hm. Worry not, my boy." Zoisite said with a creepy grin, "You won't be alive long enough to remember."

"Zoisite!"

The minion looked over towards the Sailor Scouts; annoyed but also jubilant to see their feeble attempt to save the Rainbow Crystal bearer.

"Ah, so we meet again, Sailor Scouts. I do wish I could say I've missed our interactions since the last time, but I prefer not to remember pests."

"The only real pest here is you!" Rei exclaimed. "We know what you're really here for!"

"Hmm, yes. I would suppose so. Not that it would matter." Zoisite turned to face Joe, who was startled at the attention. "You will be coming with me now, Joe-san. I would very much prefer not to dirty my hands with your blood."

Joe was spooked by the seriousness in the man's voice at that statement, but he had enough sense to not hand himself over to the mysterious feminine male, who, he had to admit, was pretty cute for a boy.

"As if, you creep!" yelled Makoto.

From the group of scouts, the tall and fearless Sailor Jupiter charged from the pack, with her hand already charged with electricity. She heard her teammates call out to her, but she didn't listen. All that went through her mind was that the man in black was going to hurt Joe, and she couldn't sit by and let that happen.

She threw her fist into Zoisite's path, but only ended up swinging at air, as Zoisite easily side-stepped her attack and gained considerable distance from her.

"My, my, _another_ one of you annoyances?" Zoisite said.

"Y'know, you shouldn't go around trying to kidnap people like that." Jupiter proclaimed. "Especially cute ones who've got no choice but to be who they're born as."

"Ha, and you expect me to take seriously, a barbaric woman who uses her fist to speak for her?" Zoisite chastised. "you certainly match the title of a Green Horn; both in color and foolishness."

Makoto gritted her teeth, ready to go at it again, but had to take the victim into account first. She turned her eyes towards the handsome-yet-terrified Crane-Game Joe and yelled: "You need to get outta here! Quick!"

"Ah! Y-You don't gotta tell me twice!" He said.

Joe frantically hightailed it outta there towards the empty road.

"Not so fast." Zoisite said with a raised hand towards the running Joe.

The enchantment was practically on the tip of his tongue, when all of a sudden—

 _"Bubble Spray!"_

Zoisite turned his attention back towards the Sailor Scouts, just in time to see Sailor Mercury spread her arms out to create a heavy billow of thick fog that masked the entire world from his sight. Only a minor annoyance to the Dark Kingdom henchmen. He need only use his senses to detect their energy.

However, Zoisite's confidence began to wither once he noticed the heat in the air begin to rise. This accompanied the quickly-growing light through the thick fog just ahead of him. He recognized the attack and immediately raised his hand to form a giant shard of ice from the ground.

 _"Fire Soul!"_

Just as predicted, Sailor Mars released a burst of red flame towards Zoisite. The attack made contact with the ice shield and was more than able to provide enough cover from the devastating flame, despite being made of ice.

Through the flames, he watched the intense flame continue to burn around him but, was even more surprised to see something much brighter than the fire come tunneling through the flames. It looked to be a small bright light that also radiated with electricity.

 _"Moon Tiara! Action!"_

 _"Supreme Thunder!"_

Both Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Moon combined their attacks into one devastating move that tunneled through the flames. The small light grew as it came towards him. In an act of desperation, Zoisite leaped from the protection of the ice pillar and wrapped his body in a summoned, giant sakura petal to protect himself from Sailor Mars' flames. After what felt like a few moments, the flames had ceased, leaving Zoisite to quickly emerge from the burnt away petal almost unscathed; save for a few burns on his clothing.

"This has become tiresome…!" Zoisite said bitterly.

With a clap of his hands, the beautiful man sent a gust of sakura petals dancing through the mist to blow it away in one foul swoop. The girls braced for the intense winds until it had quickly settled, with Ami's mist dissipated along with it.

The Scouts were now visible to the Dark Kingdom, open for his dreadful payback.

"Well, that didn't work out too well…" Makoto noted. She then gasped and said, "Hey, where's Joe?"

The Sailor Scouts and even Zoisite looked over towards the entrance to the arcade to find no sign of Crane-Game Joe. It appeared in the confusion of the fight; he took off.

"Damn…" Zoisite hissed. "You miserable fools…! Do you realize what you've done?"

"You mean saving a life from the likes of you? Yeah, I think we know too well!" Sailor Moon proclaimed.

"Uh, Sailor Moon, that's nothing to be proud of, because now _we_ don't know where he went…" Rei whispered.

"Eugh!" She reacted before giving a nervous laugh. "I-I guess you got a point there…"

A collective sigh enveloped the other girls, with Makoto questioning whether or not she should've joined the team with a leader such as her.

"Hmph. No matter." Zoisite said with a foreboding tone. " _I_ may have lost the parcel, but the least I can do is bid my time with you Scouts before _he_ finds the boy."

"He?" Usagi questioned fearfully. "W-Who's _he_?"

* * *

The fear that enveloped Joe was beyond anything he'd ever remember feeling before. He'd heard of the weirdness going on in Juban as of late with cute girls in super short skirts fighting criminals, and now the Superhero from Metropolis flying across the small city's skies. All that accumulated to Juban no longer being a quiet little district anymore. It had become way too cluttered with strangeness for Crane-Game Joe to continue playing. He had to get home; he had to find his parents and get the heck out of dodge.

He ran down the same road towards his house—turning the corner towards where his house waited for him on the far end of the road.

However, what he saw instead was something far more worse.

There, reduced to rubble and shattered remains, was his once, two-story home. Smoke had settled from a burning flame that enveloped what was left. It was like a sight from his nightmares. He could do nothing but fall to his knees and watch in horror as the fires consumed everything he loved.

"M-Mom…Dad…!" He muttered in defeat; tears streaming down his cheeks.

His moment of grief could only last so long, before he saw something emerge from the hellish inferno like a towering demon. Its silhouette was that of a human's, yet what protruded from its back were four, long tentacles with claws at the end of them. Crane-Game Joe watched this being emerge from the flames as if it were water.

His skin was a pale green, his body was encased in silvery grey armor, and his forehead had three circular orbs that formed an upside-down triangle. He looked dead at Joe with glowing eyes that struck terror into the heart of the gamer boy.

"Finally." He said with a menacingly deep voice. "I have found you, boy."

Crane-Game Joe stood back up and shakily backed away. "N-No…! S-Stay back…! Get away from me…!"

"I am afraid I cannot abide by such a command." He said, "For I, Brainiac, am in need of your peculiar alignment with the Rainbow Crystal. Though your primitive mind cannot begin to understand, you may do nothing, but submit to my demand. Do so, and your parents shall be returned to you."

"I-I don't…I-I…!" Joe could barely find the words to say, before falling onto his butt in absolute fear.

Brainiac sighed impatiently. "I have no time for such folly. If you do not wish to come with me willingly…"

He extended his hand, and one of his tentacles shot from his back like a bullet from a railgun towards the cowering Joe. He was just about to brace for pain, when all of a sudden, he saw a flash of bright blue light shot down onto the metal appendage and practically burned right through it. The claw fell to the ground with a loud clang that sent chills down Crane-Game Joe's spine.

Brainiac was only slightly bothered by the severance of his metallic claw, but grew annoyed once he heard the familiar break of the sound barrier.

From above, descended the Girl of Steel with enough force to make cracks into the concrete ground below her red booted feet. Her cold stare had the eerie glow of blue; ready to send another wave of heat vision towards the metal-clad Brainiac on a moment's notice.

"Brainiac!" Kara said menacingly.

Brainiac humorously snorted with a slight smirk. "Kara Zor-El…we meet again."


End file.
